Like Cats and Dogs
by Music-Kingdom-Sings
Summary: It isn't completely clear what exactly happened, but the results of Shizuo's and Izaya's fight are more complicated than Shinra thought. But, to think their relationship is now making sense of that old myth about cats and dogs. Shizaya. Shizuo's and Izaya's POV.
1. Another Reason to Hate You

I know...it's pretty silly of me to start a new story when I haven't even finished my other one...It's just that this story was calling out to me D: Anyway, please tell me what you all think of it and tell me if I should continue. I'm kind of on the fence with this story, but meh, it won't leave me alone xD

Disclaimer: I don't own Durarara. I only wish I did...so I could make it yaoi xD

Warnings: boyxboy, language...can't think of much else, but I might think of it later.

Inspired by the story The kittycat's bodyguard by MaddieRawr354 :3

* * *

I don't remember when I got knocked out, but I can't see anything but black. This is getting me pissed off. More importantly, I can smell something. It's really, really strong. It smells so familiar, but my head hurts too much for me to remember why. It's not a pleasant smell either. I open my eyes all of a sudden and try looking around to figure out where I am, but now instead of seeing black, I'm seeing white. It's starting to piss me off even more. Where the hell am I?

"Oh man, oh man…they're definitely going to kill me…" I hear a familiar voice say as I close my eyes again and try to get up. I feel really groggy, like I got hit by a truck. "No, this wasn't on purpose! How could you accuse me of such things! Ow!" Suddenly I remember who the voice belongs to. That damn Shinra. How did I get to his place and why? "Hopefully they're not awake yet. Maybe if they're both in comas for a few months I can have enough time to find cures. Ow! What was that for!?" I then hear silence before that nitwit starts up again; he must be "talking" to Celty. "You're right…it was a bit selfish of me to want them in comas, but if they wake up I'm sure I'll be the one in a coma! Then I won't be able to see you're beautiful face~ OW!"

I get up slowly and look around a bit more curiously. I'm still kind of lightheaded and my body wants me to rest, but I rather not stay here too long or that idiot might want to experiment on me. I then realize why I was seeing white before, it was just a white curtain like hospitals usually have to give privacy for their patients. But Shinra doesn't have something like this, and even if he did why would he need to give me privacy…unless there's someone else here…?

Suddenly I remember why I'm here and what happened. That damn flea caused all this! We were having one of our famous chases (it wouldn't be a chase if he'd just slow down and let me kill him) and then all of a sudden, he slipped up and I finally caught up to him, caught him by the collar and was glaring at him telling him that he was dead and then…I'm pretty sure…we both got hit by a truck…If that's true, then that would explain that stupid stench!

"Ah! Shizuo! Y-you're awake…!" Shinra says after opening the curtains and jumping with surprise.

"Yeah, I'm awake. Mind explaining what the hell you were talking about with Celty?" I ask angrily. "And where's that damn flea!?" Shinra flinches and laughs a little nervously before explaining that he's in the same room, but lying in a bed adjacent to mine with curtains around it. I clench my fists and smirk before practically ripping two sets of curtains out of the way. And glaring down at Izaya's sleeping form. I suddenly am taken aback when I notice something off about him.

"What…the fuck…?" I say as I point at him and then look at Shinra. "What the hell are those things he has on his head!?" I ask a bit more loudly than I should. I then notice the "things" twitching before the flea's eyes open up. At first he just lies there with his eyes slightly opened, probably feeling groggy like I was when I first woke up. Then he noticed me staring and smirked, that stupid smirk he always wears. If I wasn't so surprised and mesmerized by the things on his head, I would be beating the crap out of him.

"Well, this is an unpleasant surprise." The flea says before ruffling the side of his hair. Almost immediately, he noticed something was off; first, that I was looking at him strangely. Then he suddenly pointed at me and starting laughing, which I've seen him do before, but this time it stirred more anger in me than before. I just suddenly started growling at him which made the things on his head twitch in fear.

"What the fuck are you laughing about you damn flea!?" I ask loudly as I grabbed a hold of his collar while still giving him a low growl.

"You look ridiculous with those dog ears on your head!" The flea says before laughing again.

"Dog ears?!" I ask before tossing him back on his bed and checking my head. It's true…it's fucking true…

"I didn't think you could look any more stupid, Shizu-chan, but I guess I was wrong~" Izaya says with a smirk.

"You're one to talk! You have ears on your freaking crazy head too!" The flea just looks at me curiously for a moment, raising an eyebrow and then feeling the top of his head to investigate. Calmly, he turns his attention towards Shinra and smiles as if everything's alright.

"Shinra, I hope you have a good explanation for this." Izaya says a bit menacingly while keeping a semi-straight face. Shinra brings his hands in front of his face to shield himself from any possible abuse. He laughs nervously and asks us to join him and Celty in the living room. When we did get to the living room, Celty was sitting there a bit nervously, probably thinking Izaya and I were going to rip this place to pieces, or even worse (or better) rip Shinra to pieces.

For some strange reason Izaya's eyes flicker with happiness as he jumps beside Celty and…purrs? He sits and waits patiently before Celty pats his head and then scratches the sides of his jaw. If it's possible, his purring grows louder. Where the fuck is that sound even coming from?!

"Well, at least Izaya is enjoying himself." The flea quickly glares at Shinra as if by saying "Shut it" and then continues to purr loudly as he places his head on Celty's lap.

"This is embarrassing." Izaya suddenly states as he probably realizes what the hell he's doing. He sighs as his ears twitch and then gets up to sit next to Celty rather than on her lap. Celty didn't seem to mind that the flea was practically cuddling her up, but I bet Shinra minded. If I was her, I would have pushed him off and slammed his head into the ground. But seeing Izaya all flustered and vulnerable like this is entertaining. I've never seen him embarrassed like this before. I didn't even know he could blush like he's doing now. He almost looks…cute…What the fuck?!

"Well…um…I guess I should explain the whole reason why you both have…um…tails and ears like those." Shinra starts nervously. "Well, you see, I was minding my own business picking up some stuff in town when there was a big commotion at the corner of the street. Curiosity got the better of me and I came face to face with the horrible scene of you two bloody on the floor. Seems you two were hit by a truck." So my instincts were right. Fucking trucks, think they own the damn world or something. That's why I don't drive; I have two legs that aren't broken might as well use them. "I didn't see how it happened and I'm not sure if you both even remember since you both hit your heads pretty hard, but to make a long story short…I brought you both here, patched you guys up, and viola you're both back to being healthy and quite alive!"

"That wasn't short! And, you missed some important stuff. First of all how the hell did I get these stupid dog features!?" I ask angrily.

"Well, you both lost a lot of blood so I had to give you both blood transfusions and…well…the only blood I had on hand was…um…animal blood. Izaya has some cat blood in him and you have some dog blood. I'm not quite sure what breeds they came from…Guessing by the ears, I'd say you're a Siberian Husky or maybe a Malamute? And Izaya, you're probably a Maine Coon, maybe…? Or maybe a Himayalan—"

"Shinra! What the fuck!? What kind of doctor doesn't have human blood?!" I grit my teeth and try to calm down by clenching my fists, but I don't think it's going to work for much longer.

"I'd have to agree with Shizu-chan; considering you're so blood thirsty all the time, it comes as a huge surprise that you don't have any around here!" Izaya yells angrily.

"Well, I'm sorry! I'm not some vampire or something! I don't keep spare human blood in my fridge thinking 'oh I might need this tomorrow, better stock up on more just because!' Besides where would I even get that blood from?! I don't go around in a blood bank truck and steal it from people off the streets!"

I then stare at him menacingly and grab him by the collar. "What are you talking about? I'm looking at a perfectly good donor right here." I say to him angrily. He fidgets in my grip and seems to be struggling hysterically. Izaya walks over to Shinra and puts his hand on my shoulder as he brings Shinra's arm up and taps the spot on the arm where doctors usually draw blood. The flea smiles as he tells Shinra that he agrees with me.

"Ne, Shinra is AB, we're both type O, he wouldn't be able to donate to us at all." Izaya then points out as he pats Shinra's head. "You're lucky that science saved you Shinra otherwise you wouldn't have had an excuse."

Suddenly Celty interrupts and forces her PDA in my face.

[You two should be grateful to Shinra! Sure, maybe it was a stupid move on his part, but what else could he do? It was either use that animal blood or lose his friends! Besides, Shinra said that he's looking for a cure as soon as possible.]

I sigh and put my hands in my pockets. No cigarette box. Damn.

"Well, Celty has a point. No use in trying to kill our only way to return to normality." Izaya says with a smirk.

"Normality? You call what you were before the ears and tail, normal?" I ask the flea with a glare.

"Well, I could say the same about you, am I right?" His tail suddenly stiffens before swaying back and forth gently.

"Guys please, this is no time to fight." Shinra says pleadingly. "Granted, I did make one of you a cat and one of you a dog, but that doesn't mean you have to make that silly myth about cats and dogs hating each other true!"

"We hated each other even before this, Shinra." Izaya reminds him. "You just gave us one more reason to hate each other even more." Shinra rubs his temples before sighing and then looking at me for a moment.

"Don't hate me for this Shizuo…" Shinra grabs something out of his pocket and then shows it to me. I sniff the thing in his hand and notice that its meat…"Sit!" He says to me assertively. I suddenly feel myself kneeling down and then sitting on the floor as if by some kind of magic. My tails suddenly starts wagging happily even though I'm not even trying to. "Good boy." He says before patting my head and giving me the treat. "Stay." I growl a bit but comply with his commands.

"Hahahaha!" The flea starts laughing hysterically. "I didn't think Shizu-chan would be so obedient! But then again, he's always easily manipulated!" Shinra suddenly looks at Izaya with an annoyed expression before heading into the kitchen and retrieving something…is that catnip? Izaya gets up mesmerized by the smell, which I don't find too great and then heads over to Shinra to sit patiently, probably waiting for the treat. He suddenly meows innocently (as innocently as _Izaya_ could be).

"Now that both of you are paying attention, I shall explain what's going to happen. For now, we're going to have to keep you both here until I find a solution to this problem…You'll both have to resume you're daily lives as if by normal, but we'll have to explain the ears and tail…Maybe we could say you're both cosplaying for a while? Ikebukuro makes that seem normal."

"That's stupid." I say as I growl under my breath.

"Like you, ne?" Izaya says with a snicker. I look over to him and growl a bit louder before Shinra makes a clicking sound. I look over to him and see him getting something out of his bag that says something about pets on it. I hope to God that's not what I think it is.

"Here we go." Shinra says as he puts a dog collar on me. I growl lowly at him clenching my fists in disapproval. "I'm not doing this because I have some weird hobby. I placed tracking devices in these collars so if you guys run off—by choice or not—Celty can always find you and bring you two back. Izaya gets one with a bell on it." Shinra is probably having too much fun with this. "Pets often run off and we're not sure whether or not we'll be able to find you two if you guys manage to do so, so this is just a precaution and if anyone asks, it's all part of your costumes."

"This is never going to work." Izaya states with an annoyed expression. "Besides, this bell is irritating my ears. Whose wise idea was it to invent a collar for an animal with keen sense of hearing?"

"Haha, it suits you. It's fucking annoying, like you." I say with a laugh. Izaya's head turns quickly and his hair on his head and fur on his tail suddenly stands up a little. His eyes gleam at me angrily and his ears prick up. "Shinra, that bell is gonna make Izaya ten times more annoying than he already is. It's gonna make my ears bleed. Either you remove the damn thing, or I'll tear it off him."

"Alright, alright." Shinra says as he removes the bell and tosses it unconsciously. Izaya and I keep our sights on it and watch it as it lands in the fish tank. It sinks to the bottom and rests there.

Izaya instinctively heads over to the fish tank and watches the fish as if it were prey.

"I didn't know you had a fish tank." I say to Shinra as I watch Izaya sitting calmly by the fish tank while tapping his tail on the floor slightly.

"It's mostly for decoration. The place seemed kind of boring without something like a fish to watch."

"Shinra, watching a fish is boring; you've basically done nothing to this place, but kept it boring." I state with an annoyed expression. He laughs nervously and scratches the back of his head as he agrees with me.

"Anyway, make yourselves at home." Shinra says happily as he pats my head. "Izaya has sort of already done that since he's a cat; seems to be in his nature."

"Cats, they think they own the damn world." I scoff as Shinra says that I can sit on the couch now, which I do immediately. I hate sitting on the floor; now I know why dogs and cats like to sit on couches. I sigh as I lie down on the couch and feel the dog ears that are on my head. I look up at the ceiling tiredly until I smell a strong scent lingering in the room. Izaya pops his head so he's hovering over me and smirks at me. "What do you want, Flea?" I ask bitterly, showing my canines angrily. My canines are a bit bigger than I remember. Now they feel like fangs or something. I lift up my hand to pull on his cat ear and he hisses angrily in response. I laugh a little as he struggles to make me let go. He then grabs a hold of my arm and bites down hard. "What the fuck!" I say as I let go of his ear and look at the teeth marks on my arm, just below where my wrists. "Fucking louse!"

"That's what you get for pulling my ears; they're sensitive, brute." He hisses again. His tail is swaying violently; I guess he's really irritated.

"No way am I staying here with you, fucking parasite!"

"Well, I don't want to either. In fact, I'm heading out. I have work and there's no way I'm going to be able to get any of it done with some protozoan distracting me. I might catch your stupid." Both of us butt heads and show our fangs as we growl at each; the flea's hissing, not really growling.

"Guys! What have I told you about fighting?!" Shinra says as he enters the living room again. "If you two have to get some fresh air to relax, then by all means please go. Just make sure no one figures out that your features are…really attatched. Got it?"

"Fine." We both say in unison, which makes us look at each other bitterly.

"By the way, both of you have been asleep for a while, but I called Tom for you Shizuo. Izaya, I didn't think you had anyone I could excuse your absence to so…"

"It's fine. I'll call Namie myself." The flea explains calmly.

"Well, anyway, you've kind of both been out for at least four days, so I think it would be best for you two to return to work…despite your current situations." Shinra ponders something for a bit. "If you both exhibit strange behaviors please write them down for me when you can. And if anyone asks, just say you're getting into your character or some other excuse you can make up on the spot. Alright?"

"Yeah, yeah." I say as I get my phone out to call Tom.

"Well, I'm off~" Izaya says as he opens the door and carefully shuts it so he doesn't get his stupid cat tail caught.

"Well, since you guys are gonna be staying here for a while. I'm gonna prepare the guest room." Shinra says as he heads over to said room. I suddenly feel a tug of my tail so I look around and see Celty investigating if it really is attached. I growl at her softly and then turn around.

[Where does that even come out from?]

I sigh as my tail involuntarily starts wagging and my ears twitch a bit. This is going to be a long day.

Izaya's POV

There was no point staying at Shinra's place since there's nothing I can accomplish there, besides that brute is there. As much as I love to pester him, I have no time for it today. I've been off from work for much too long. I'm sure I missed some appointments and such, so I'm going to have to reschedule them as soon as I get to the office. Naime should be there. She better not be on some self-given vacation.

"Look mommy, that guy has cat ears and a tail!" Some kid says as I walk passed him and his mother. His mother tells him to quiet down and to not stare. I'm sure I look obvious and ridiculous, but this city is known for its supernatural and weird occurrences and figures. So, in retrospect, I blend in perfectly here. But Shinjuku is a different story. I'm going to have to buy some tape or something to tape my ears down and try to hide my tail somehow.

"Izaya! Come eat some sushi!" I stop and laugh a little as Simon waves his arms jubilantly.

"Ah Simon, I'd love to stay and eat, but I have to get back to work." I say as my tail suddenly sways back and forth happily. Simon then stares at me suspiciously.

"Dressing up for party?" Simon asks with a smile.

"Yeah, you could say that. Well, I have to head out. See you later." I say before walking off. It's quite a long way to Shinjuku, but I can manage it since I came all the way from there to Ikebukuro to play a game of chase with Shizu-chan. But to think these strange turn of events would happen because of that…

When I finally make it to my office, I find that it's empty, but that there are some finished stacks of papers on my desk. Namie must have left early. Oh well, it's not like I enjoy her company.

I feel a bit overwhelmed, probably by all that has happened. Certainly the news of acquiring feline features would shock anyone into complete tiredness, but I don't think it's the shock that's making me feel so drowsy. Today wasn't so eventful either and to top it all off, it's not that late. I look at the clock hanging on the wall and see that it's only five o'clock in the evening.

Overcome by this desire to sleep, I find myself lying on my couch, curled up. My eyes start to flutter closed and then everything turns black. I wonder if Shizu-chan is experiencing this strange overwhelming desire to sleep. He's such an oaf that he probably just passed out on the floor if he did suddenly feel sleepy…

* * *

A/N: Kitty ears and kitty tail. Doggy ears and doggy tail :D I've seen a few pictures of them as dogs and cats and other animals, they were also inspirations to me to write this story xD Please review!


	2. Caught up a Tree

Hello! Thank you for all of those who read, reviewed, favorite, etc. It really means a lot to me. Please feel free to comment on anything that seems to be missing, wrong, ect. It's how I improve :) Also, if you want something in the story to happen, you can give me some ideas (which I will credit to you, the creator :3) through PM and I'll see what I can do. The story is progressing, but where I'm at on Word is getting slow and I'm kind of getting writers block, so if you all could help I'd appreciate it a lot.

**Warnings**: Possible OoC and Strong Language.

* * *

**Izaya's POV**

I don't remember when I suddenly fell into a deep sleep like that, but I knew I did because when I woke up I saw the faintness of the day seeping through my opened curtains. I check the clock again and see that it's six in the morning. Perfect, now my internal working clock is messed up. I usually get up at seven or seven thirty. I stretch a little and rub my eyes. My tail suddenly whacks me in the face, probably trying to remind me of yesterday's surprises. I push it away from me and yawn as I stretch my arms up before getting up. I slept on my couch? I must have been more tired than I originally thought. I head over to my computer and turn it on.

Upon it finally turning on and me checking my e-mail and whatnot, I find that I have a lot of people complaining about my absence. Unfortunately, there are some death threats. I'm used to things like this, but being that my senses are now heightened my awareness has heightened as well. So, I'm going to be on the alert for anyone trying to approach me with malicious ideas.

"I suppose going out for a stroll will do me some good." I've seen a lot of cats hanging around Ikebukuro, mostly just strays, but some belonging to people; seems like cats really like to explore the world. So, I suppose this urge to wander is coming from my animalistic desires, just like my sudden urge to sleep had overcome me last night.

First, before going out and wandering around the city, I want to shower. I feel somewhat filthy, probably because I was sleeping in close quarters with Shizu-chan. Though, Shizu-chan often tells me that _I'm_ the one that smells bad. I'm pretty sure Shizu-chan's the one that smells. I've been up close to him before. Though, I have never quite taken into consideration of taking the time to smell him. I head off to the bathroom and set up the shower, also preparing my clothes. Before entering the shower I test the water and make sure it's just right.

When I do head in, my tail tenses up, but then settles down. I then look at it, investigating it a little more thoroughly before travelling to the location of where it's attached to my body.

"Hmm, so that's where it's attached…" I say to myself as I examine the connection. My eye twitches a little. "That's a bit weird…" I wonder if Shizu-chan is experiencing the same awkwardness of exploration and realization as I am right now; probably not. I can't see Shizu-chan investigating such things. He'd probably blow a gasket if he found out about this strange connection. I now feel even more strange about thinking about Shizu-chan while naked. I laugh a little to myself and then continue washing myself.

**Shizuo's POV**

I sneeze all of suddenly, making me almost spill the milk I was serving on my cereal. I set the carton down a bit angrily and then look down at the dull looking cereal floating in the milk. I then pick up the carton of milk again and shake it slightly, feeling the small amount of milk swish around inside.

"Hmm, might as well…" I say as I chug the rest of the milk in the carton before spitting it out. Sour. Great…now I have to throw out the bowl of cereal I just served. I haven't been home in a while and it was pretty close to being expired before I fell into a damn coma. I sigh as I throw out the cereal and just eat some leftover vegetable rice with egg which I had for dinner last night before I passed out on the couch. I remember having a weird dream after that about sitting next to a fire hydrant and then running after a squirrel. I'm pretty sure I was moving parts of my body outside of my dream (mostly my legs) because the lamp I had on the stand next to my couch was lying broken in front of the door. I must have accidently kicked it.

I then hear the phone ringing, a little more loudly than I'm used to. Damn, keen hearing. I pick up the phone, ready to curse out at the person calling, but before I have a chance to do that Shinra speaks happily.

"Morning Shizuo, how's it going?" Shinra asks cheerfully. Either he's forgotten that he made me part dog, or he's ignoring everything. "Not experiencing any weird symptoms, are you?"

"Does wanting to beat your face in count as a weird symptom?" I ask angrily.

"No…um…Look, I've been working pretty diligently on the cure, though I have no idea what I'm looking for…But I assure you that everything will pan out just fine…sooner or later."

"Shinra!"

"So, are you experiencing any pain or weird symptoms at all? I need to know so I can run some tests."

"No, I'm fine…" I say simply. I suddenly call my attention to my window. My ears spring up and I focus on some noise out in the distance.

"Shizuo? Shizuo, hello? Are you still there?" I start barking aimlessly at the persistent sound of a cat's meow outside. The low meowing turns into an irritated roar of some sort and then I hear the cat running away. "Shizuo!"

"What?" I ask as I yawn.

"Were you the one barking?"

"No." I say with an annoyed look on my face even though he can't see it.

"Well…alright…I'll let you go since Tom must want you to head over. I want you and Izaya to come by later so I can take some much needed tests. I'll see you then."

"Yeah, bye." I say as I curse. "Damn Shinra and his stupid lab work." I say before hanging up. Better get ready for work. I really don't want to make Tom wait more than he already has. Though, I'm not too excited about meeting him with these stupid dog features. I woke up this morning, looking at myself, feeling very stupid about my appearance. I look like an idiot, like I'm going to some anime or manga convention. I feel my dog ears for a minute as I look at myself in the mirror that's close to the door. I sigh and head out.

When I finally see Tom, I inhale a bit before walking over to him and saying good morning.

"Hey Shizu—woah…what's…up with the…?" He says as he points to the ears and tail which is wagging violently behind me. I grit my teeth before forcing a bit of a smile.

"I lost a bet and these were the conditions." I say angrily.

"How long are you supposed to look like that?" Tom asks as he tries not to laugh. I don't answer. "Well, at least you're feeling better. I don't think it was wise of you to make a bet when you were sick though…"

"Yeah, well…" I say without really explaining anything. The day goes on as if by normal, but the customers who are supposed to be terrified of me start laughing their asses off because of my features and I go ballistic on them, causing Tom to tug at my collar every time things got out of hand. I didn't like it when he did that, but I have no other choice but to listen to him; that is if I want to keep my job, which I do.

"Shizuo…man…you've been acting really strange lately…I mean, I know you probably hit your head because of the hit and run, but this is a serious problem…"

"What do you mean?" I ask him as I tilt my head to the side.

"Shizuo…get up and sit down on the chair…" He says as he points to the seat across from him. I get up from the floor and slowly sit on the chair. "Look, is there some reason why you're acting so—"

"Izaaaayyyyaaa!" I say as I get up and spot him, ears erect, tail a bit ruffled, and teeth gritted. Izaya in response looks in my direction and smirks.

"Didn't notice you were around here, Shizu-chan." I growl a bit but don't speak, trying to find the right words instead of trying to bark at him menacingly. "Aw, what's the matter Shizu-chan, cat got your tongue?~" Little pest. I can't stand him. I race towards him, but he's already heading towards a safe place, and when I mean a safe place I mean…oddly enough…up a tree…

"Izaya! Get your ass down here so I can strangle you!" I watch him as he climbs up the tree with ease and agility. I grab a hold of the closest branch and try to climb the tree, but I'm pretty sure I look like an idiot. "You damn coward!" He smirks down at me as he lies against the trunk of the tree. He coils his stupid black tail around the branch he's sitting on and mocks me with it, moving it back and forth, back and forth. I start barking as if it's a normal thing to do. Izaya suddenly fidgets from the noise and meows irritatedly (probably not even aware he's making that kind of noise) as he looks down and glares at me.

**Izaya POV**

He just doesn't know how to be quiet. To think he tells me that I'm disturbing the peace in this city when he's the one causing this entire disturbing racket. First of all, I wasn't even here to play with him. I just came by to head over to Shinra's, but since he had found me I thought there was no use in trying to persuade him that I was doing something completely casual. Oh well, he can't catch me while I'm way up here in this tree. I look down at him and smirk. Dogs are much too slow for a cat's agility and grace. Plus, given that I was agile and fast before Shinra made me part cat makes me almost overpowering. It's quite amusing this way since I get to tease the brute more.

All of a sudden, though, the tree starts to shake a bit violently and I cling onto it as it suddenly gets rooted from the ground. I hang on for a little while before noticing that I can jump to the next tree, which I do just in the nick of time. The blonde monster below me growls again in frustration. If left to his own devices he'd probably destroy this whole town without my help, but that wouldn't be any fun seeing as I wouldn't be able to witness his reactions and even onlooker's reactions. I'm simply having too much fun.

"Izaaaaaaaaayyyyyyaaa!" Shizu-chan says loudly as he tackles the next tree which I'm currently on. He roots it out of the ground like the last one before tossing it aside after I climb on the next tree.

"Shizuo!" I suddenly hear a familiar voice ring out in the crowd. Shinra makes his way through and catches his breath before looking up to where I sit on this tree. "What did I tell you about making a mess of things while in this state?"

"You didn't mention anything!" Shizu-chan yells angrily. "Besides, that fucking parasite was getting on my nerves." Shinra suddenly digs up something from the bag he's carrying and tosses it on the ground. Shizu-chan then responds by chasing after it and holding it in his mouth before chewing on it happily. His tag begins to wag and his ears lower calmly against the top of his head. I smile to myself as I watch him enjoy to what looks like a juicy bone, from what animal I don't have the slightest idea. Shinra then looks up at me again, tilting his head to the side curiously.

"How did you get up there Izaya?!" He asks me.

"Ask the brute. He was staring at me the whole time I made my way up the tree. Probably staring at my ass the whole time~!" I decide to yell teasingly with a laugh. Shizu-chan lets the bone drop to the floor and then gets up since he was sitting calmly on the grass. He looks up at me before rooting the tree.

"You damn flea! I was not! Fucking sick freak!" He says before tossing the tree in the same direction as the other two, while I jump to the ground and land on my feet…and oddly my hands. Shizu-chan tries to make a pass at me, but Shinra immediately stops him and tosses a stick in a random direction (though a direction far away from me). Shizu-chan runs after it, fully intent on retrieving it. I laugh at him as he runs off, but before I can finish my healthy laughing fit Shinra presents me with a ball of yarn which he teases me with as he tosses it up and down, catching it in his hand every time.

He then tosses it to the ground where I tackle it and play with it accordingly. I'm sure to anyone looking this way, we both look like complete idiots, but the urge to play with this lovely little red ball of yarn is too great. I'm sure Shizu-chan feels the same way for that stick, that is if Shinra even threw one to begin with. Dogs aren't too clever.

"Look, I have to take you guys back to my place so I can run some tests. For all we know, your bodies could be experiencing some dangerous changes. Your heart rates might have increased or your bodily functions might have adapted to your animalistic ones without us knowing." Shinra turns towards me and then looks at me curiously. "How did you manage to tangle yourself up in that yarn in such little time?"

"I don't know; just help me get out of this mess." I say bitterly. At this point, Shizu-chan comes back with the stick and sets it on the ground, looking quite annoyed despite his tail wagging happily. "Had fun Shizu-chan?"

"Not another word from you, you fucking pest!" Shizu-chan says loudly.

"Come on guys, we have to get out of here. People aren't looking this way anymore, so this is our time to make our escape."

"How come you're wearing such stupid looking clothes, Shinra?" Shizu-chan asks as he calms down.

"I'm dressed as the trainer." Shinra states proudly as he untangles me from the mess I made. I slide out through an opening and then shake a little to rid myself of the lint and yarn. I sit down patiently as I unknowingly lick the back of my hand. I stop as I see the two staring at me. "Let's go, Celty's waiting for us, and I really don't like to leave her waiting." Shinra says with a smile. I ignore his commands and lie down on the grass comfortably. "Izaya…please don't be difficult."

"I _was_ going to your place out of my own free will a moment ago, but the brute stopped me and now I don't feel like going." I say bitterly as I wrap my tail around my body.

"So you're just going to hang out here where everyone can pester you? What if someone runs over your tail or decides to pull your ears? Or some other dogs chase you?" I point at the tree and then settle into a curled up position.

Shizu-chan looks at me with contempt, while I just glare at him. I wasn't too mad at him before, but now I'm pissed, not because he chased me around like he usually does, but because I remembered the little detail that Shinra didn't mention when we had been hit by that truck. That brute…just because he got knocked out by a truck he forgets the most important things while I don't? And to think he's said to be the "strongest man in Ikebukuro." He can't even handle a blow to the head like that and keep his memories in check? Maybe it's best that he doesn't remember why we had stopped in the middle of the street, why he had just froze there hanging onto my collar as if he had seen a ghost. Maybe it's best he doesn't remember the _exact_ reason why we're in this mess to begin with.

"That's it you damn cat." Shizu-chan says before picking me up and swinging me over his shoulder violently. I kick and squirm to get out of his grasp, but he's got a good hold on me; and I get to my knives in my pocket. "Stupid flea smells even worse up close…"

"I don't smell, you dog! I took a shower this morning!" I say as I punch his back.

"Tch. Then where is that smell coming from?" Shizu-chan asks angrily. "I'm sure it's not Shinra and no one else is closer to me than you right now." That sounded like a confession or something. I smirk and laugh a little as I wait for Shizu-chan to notice his little blunder. "Fuck. That's _not_ what I meant!" He says angrily as he realizes I'm smirking.

The rest of the way to Shinra's we stayed pretty silent except for Shinra's whistling which only stopped midway to his apartment because Shizu-chan threatened that he'd punch him so hard that his grandchildren would even feel it years from now. Shinra just smiled nervously and waved his arms in front of his face apologetically.

As soon as we entered the apartment, Shizu-chan put me down, after doing so I brought out my knife and pointed it at his neck threateningly. He didn't move and his face didn't express any emotion except indifference.

"If you pick me up like that again, I'll take the pleasure in ridding you of those dog features in my own way." I say as I smirk and then put away my blade swiftly. I look over to Shinra and Celty who are standing nervously a fair distance away from me and the brute. "So let's get this over with so I can finish my business."

"Alright…" Shinra says as he heads into his room, probably to retrieve all his medical instruments. Celty looks at Shizu-chan and I silently; I can feel her persistent stare even if she doesn't have a head.

[I can see that despite your situations, you're still at each other's throats.] Celty presents us with her PDA and the two of us read it silently as she steps closer to us.

"Well, some things never change~" I say in singsong.

"Yeah, Izaya will still be fucking annoying years from now." Shizu-chan adds as he walks over to sit on the couch.

[What did you do to him? He looks really frustrated.]

"Nothing, I was just minding my own business on the street. He saw me, started to chase me, I climbed up a tree out of his reach, and now he's probably depressed because he couldn't catch me." I say simply as I shrug.

['Nothing'? That doesn't sound like you.]

"Yeah, well I wasn't in the mood to play. I just instinctively climbed up the tree because I felt threatened." I say as I walk over to the fish tank and eye the little creature inside carefully. Celty whacks me with a newspaper fiercely before pointing over to the couch. "Fine…"

"I've got everything!" Shinra says happily as he pushes a small cart with various medical tools on it. I sigh as I sit on the one-seat couch horizontally and curl up into a ball. "Now then, I'm going to do pretty routine kind of stuff such as taking your blood pressure, running some blood tests, checking your reflex, that kind of stuff."

"I'm glad that you're actually telling us the protocol. Last time you just drew blood from me while I was napping here." I say calmly as I close my eyes to relax. My tail curls and settles on top of my stomach. I feel someone's gaze on me so I open my eyes and notice it's not Shinra's, but Shizu-chan's. He looks away angrily after my gaze meets his.

* * *

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed. Forgive me if they were OOC, it's sort of necessary since they're part cat and dog. Please review! It makes me very happy to hear the voice of the people~


	3. Scaredy Cat

Thanks for all the reviews and reads and favorites :D It really makes me happy. You guys are awesome. Not much to say about this chapter. Just please enjoy. Also if you have any ideas you really want to add, I will be happy to include it in the story if it fits, I will give you credit for it :D

**Announcement**: Will possibly be updating Thursdays and Sundays :3 Probably. Maybe.

* * *

Shizuo's POV

The tests run for a while. Izaya offers to go first saying that he wants to "get out of here as soon as possible." So right now I'm just sitting here in the living room with Celty.

[You don't want to watch some TV?] I read Celty's PDA and shake my head.

"Nah, I'm not in the mood." I say as I sigh as my ears twitch a bit. I scratch the back of my head a little and then look at the ceiling. "You don't think I'll be stuck like this do you?" I ask her.

[I'm sure Shinra can come up with a cure; just give him some time. If he made you two like this, he can revert you two back.]

"I hope so; I'm not expecting to be barking at cats and fetching sticks all my life."

"Well, there's no need to worry. Everything looks good with Izaya, so I'm assuming your results won't be too different Shizuo. Although, if there are complications, the process of coming up with an antidote might be prolonged." Shinra says as he enters the living room with Izaya trailing behind him, putting his stupid furry jacket back on. "Just seems like you two are acquiring animalistic tendencies, which aren't life threatening."

"That's what you think." Izaya states matter-of-factly. "Cats have a tendency to walk off to wander around in unknown territories. I could end up lost in some dangerous alley."

"You'd be doing the whole world a favor if you did that willingly flea." I say calmly.

"Down boy." Shinra says sternly. "For now, we'll just have to make do until I can find out how to cure you both. In the meantime, you two will have to just adapt to living like this."

"Easy for you to say." I growl. "You're not the one having stupid urges to howl for no reason or run and catch something every time it's thrown." Izaya suddenly smirks and pretends to throw something, which makes me flinch. "Fucking flea!" He starts laughing immediately after he realizes his stupid little tactic worked.

"Look, you two are gonna have to learn to get along…I can't work on the cure if you're both gonna do like you always do and show up at my doorstep beaten and broken…I need to devote all my time to research, so please try to get along."

"Get along with that freak?! I rather be in a fucking coma!"

"See Celty? I told you it was a good idea to just keep them in com—ah! Okay, okay bad idea, bad idea!" Shinra says after Celty threatens him with another pull to the ear. This makes me kind of happy since I wanted to make Shinra feel pain myself.

"If you really want to be in a coma again Shizu-chan, I can surely arrange that for you~" Izaya says happily as his tail sways from side to side mischievously. Before he became a cat, he was considered devious, but now he's probably a thousand times worse.

"Shut the fuck up, flea." I say bitterly. "Don't you even come near me."

"Shinra, even if Shizu-chan and I hate each other's guts, I'd have to agree with the brute. Just the thought of trying to get along with Shizu-chan makes me want to vomit." The flea says with a hiss.

"Well then, I guess you're gonna vomit a lot because you two _are_ gonna get along, whether you two like it or not." Shrina says assertively. "Well, Shizuo you're next. Izaya-kun you can leave if you'd like."

"Thank you Shinra for poking holes in my arm." Izaya says sarcastically as he heads over to the door and puts his hand on the doorknob. "Well, I'll be going. See you~" Izaya says before heading out the door.

Shinra takes his sweet time probing me. I don't like it, but I guess given my current situation it has to be done. Shinra says to take it easy and absolutely no smoking for the time being since he doesn't know what that might do. I'm probably not going to get through this week without at least a pack of cigarettes. This is gonna be a long week. No fighting Izaya. No cigarettes. Might as well leave me to die under some bridge. I guess I have a little bit more will power to handle a week or more without smoking, but enough will power to keep myself from tearing the flea to pieces…I don't think anyone, if they were in my position, would ever have enough will power for that.

I bet if God really did exist and he really did bring life to humans, he'd probably be very regretful for making Izaya. I know I'd be. But I know hell exists since Izaya brings it to my life every time I see him.

"There, all done. You can head home or stay here if you want." Shinra says as he takes his tools away in the same cart he had brought into the living room.

"I'd rather go home. Knowing you, you might take another pint of my blood for your own sick studies."

"They are not 'sick studies' it's research." Shinra corrects me. "Be careful out there. You might get caught by the pound." Shrina says with a smile. I growl lowly at him before heading to the living room to say goodbye to Celty.

[Have a safe trip back home then. See you tomorrow.] Her PDA reads.

"Yeah…see ya…"

[Something the matter?] I glare at her. [Um…besides being part dog?]

"I just…feel kind of irritated…" I pause and then look at her again. "More than usual."

[Maybe you're just irritable because you've overslept…_a lot_...]

"Yeah…I guess so…" I say simply as I sigh. Why did I have to remember what really happened? Why couldn't have I forgotten? Isn't it in those TV shows or cartoons the character who gets hit in the head gets amnesia? Why couldn't I have gotten that and forgotten that part of what happened forever? "I'll see you guys tomorrow…" I say as I open the front door and head out. I suddenly realize that it's raining. I could have sworn it was sunny just a while ago. Shit, now I'm gonna have to head out in the rain without an umbrella and then I might get sick.

"Here." I hear a familiar voice say as I see an umbrella hover over me. I look over to Izaya who has his hood on; his ears are still visible through the fabric. I look at him curiously, wondering if this is one of his tricks.

"Didn't you leave a while ago?" I ask as I take his umbrella.

"I never left…" Izaya answers with a laugh. "I noticed it started raining and decided to stay here for a while until the rain stopped."

"If you had an umbrella why didn't you just head home?" I ask.

"That's none of your business, just go home. I'm staying here until the rain stops. Besides that's Shinra's, I'd rather he find out that _you_ took it than me." I toss the umbrella to Izaya and growl at him. "I'm kidding, I found it over there." He points. "It was abandoned, you can use it." I look up at the sky and then see a surge of lightning travel through in an irregular path; the sound of thunder accompanying it. I then see from the corner of my eye that Izaya had fidgeted slightly. Although he's trying to look brave, I can tell he's scared shitless.

"Scared of a thunderstorm?" I ask him with a smirk.

"No." He says sternly. "Just head home already."

"Nice try. I'm not heading out in a thunderstorm with a fucking umbrella. It's like a lightning rod."

"Oh, so you _do_ have a brain and it _is_ functioning. Bravo Shizu-chan." Izaya claps happily until another bolt of lightning travels through the sky and is accompanied by another loud thunderous roar. Izaya flinches before shaking a bit from the cold (and probably from fear). His ears flatten down against his head and his tail hides behind him.

"Listen Flea, since you're so freaked out; go ask Shinra to let you crash at his place for the night." I tell him as I put away the umbrella and put it against the wall. "Fucking scaredy cat."

"Am not!" Izaya says coincidentally at the same time another loud thunderous roar happens. Izaya jumps and clings onto me, digging his nails into my shoulders, and hiding his tail between his legs. I can almost hear him whimpering softly against my chest. I pat his head unconsciously, feeling his silky black hair run through my fingers. It almost feels good if I didn't remember who this hair belongs to.

All of a sudden, Izaya backs away, nervously trying to think of an excuse of why he had done what he did. I, on the other hand, don't care about any excuses he might make up. And I don't intend on making my own excuses for why I had suddenly petted him like that. I'm stupid; therefore whatever I do is stupid.

"Ah, I'm glad I caught you two." Shinra says as he comes over to us. "I noticed the storm clouds and then heard the thunder, I'd actually feel more at ease if you guys decided to stay the night at my place. We have a guestroom for you guys…granted there's only one…so either you share the bed or one of you sleeps on the couch…"

"I'll sleep on the couch." I say dully. "I'm used to it anyway." Izaya looks at me suspiciously, but I just smile back before following Shinra back inside his apartment.

Izaya's POV

It's quite a boring looking guestroom and not to mention quiet and dark. I don't mind it, but the thunder is going to keep me up all night, I'm sure of it. Why didn't the brute just head home? Why did he have to see me like _that_…It's not that I actually care what the brute thinks of me, I more or less already know, but to have him see me in such a vulnerable state makes me feel utterly humiliated. Shinra already knows about my fear of thunder; Celty probably knows through Shinra. I didn't think Shizu-chan would ever find out, honestly.

I pull at one of my ears a bit, tugging at it absentmindedly, investigating it as if it were something complicated and awe striking. I look up at the ceiling, trying to concentrate on something other than the unexpected interval of the thunder. After a while, I find myself unable to cope with the anticipation of it and head out to the living room, where I find Shizu-chan dozed off—he looks almost as if he were dead, though his breathing tells me otherwise. I hover over him with a glare and tug at one of his dog ears. He growls a little in his sleep before lightly breathing again.

"I hope you don't remember…its better this way, protozoan…" I say bitterly. The ticking of the wall clock breaks my attention from the brute. I sigh as I try to find something that will serve as ear plugs, but as I'm scrounging around I suddenly get very sleepy. "It's better this way…only for you…but for me…it's torture…" I say before heading back into the guestroom and lying down in bed trying to get some sleep, to no avail. "I hope he chokes on his own saliva in his sleep."

* * *

A/N: Sorry it was a shorter chapter this time. Please review! It makes me oh so motivate and helps me improve if people give me feedback on grammatical stuff and whatnot :D


	4. Big Brother Izaya

I'm back with more :3 Thank you to all of those who are reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following. It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. Anyway, please enjoy and review if you can! I had psychology class that was about dreams during the time I wrote this so a little sprinkle of psychology is in here I suppose xD AND phobias were also mentioned in my class, so it's just dash more of psyche :P

* * *

The hours tick by and I notice that I'm getting only moments of light sleep and then I awaken to the sound of thunder, then get startled by a sound much less loud than it such as Shizu-chan's light snoring or a sudden creak from the floor. It's this sensitization that makes me incapable to catch more than an hour or two of sleep before morning. Come morning, I find that Shizu-chan had left during the time I had managed to fall asleep since the storm had passed.

"Where did Shizu-chan head off to?"

"He said he needed to head to work. Did you sleep alright? The thunder was pretty violent last night." Shinra says as he heads into the kitchen, while I follow him so as to get my breakfast.

"My phobia prevented me from getting more than two or three hours of deep sleep."

"Well, it's a good thing the storm passed then. Wouldn't want you to become sleep deprived. Losing REM sleep is a horrible thing; you lose all those precious dreams." Shinra suddenly looks at me nervously. "Or whatever kind of dreams _you_ have. Albeit that they have something to do with causing mischief and poking Shizu-chan's buttons."

"Ah, you seem to know me far too well." I say as my tail sways back and forth mischievously.

"Oh, I have something for you that you might like." Shinra suddenly says happily. He heads back into the living room and fetches a fishing rod-like toy that has a feathery object at the end. He grins a bit too casually before moving the object back and forth. My eyes lock onto the feathery thing, moving with it swiftly before I lunge at it instinctively. Though I thought I caught it, when I open my hands they're empty. "I knew you'd like it."

Shinra and I have our "fun" for a while until I tire and lie on the floor, completely exhausted.

"Shinra, you're having way too much fun with this." I say angrily.

"Ah, on the contrary I'm pretty stressed out with the research I have to do to find a cure…I'm going to be analyzing the samples you two gave me. So, I'm gonna be very busy today. I bet you have a lot to do too." Shinra says as he puts away the toy. "You can head out if you want. Cats are sort of nature's little explorers, so I'm sure you're itching to get outside and wander."

"Might as well…" I say as I open the front door.

"Oh, and Izaya-kun?"

"Yes, Shinra?" I ask tediously.

"Please try not to make Shizuo angry today."

"You're asking way too much, Shinra. Besides, even by the sight of me the brute gets angry. What am I supposed to do, turn invisible?"

"Just try to avoid him as much as possible okay?" Shinra says pleadingly.

"Sure, sure. I'll give it a shot." Granted, it'll be kind of difficult with him and Tom always travelling around Ikebukuro the whole day. And Shizu-chan seems to know where I am just by a certain scent that he detects. What kind of scent, I have the slightest idea. He tells me that I smell horrible, but I keep telling the protozoan that I take showers quite frequently.

Ah, but today looks really nice, despite yesterday being so cloudy and depressing. I hide my ears with my hood this time and try to hide my tail in my pants, but it just feels uncomfortable and probably looks quite ridiculous too. I make my way through the passing people and head over to Russian Sushi for a bite to eat. I'm even more in love with fatty tuna now that I'm part cat, but I've also acquired the taste for milk, which disturbs me. On the bright side, cats are said to only taste bitter things, which is within my likings.

"Hey Izaya! Is that you!?" I hear a voice say in a bubbly tone behind me. I turn around and see a girl, one who is usually with Kadota and his gang of friends. If I remember correctly, her name is Erika. And if I'm not mistaken, she and her friend Walker are very (if not completely) enthralled with manga, anime, and the like. Otakus are what they're called. Her friends are trailing behind her, trying to catch up as she approaches me enthusiastically. "It is you. If you're here Shizuo can't be far away!"

"I have no doubt about that. I'm not here to torment the brute today, unfortunately. I'm just picking up some breakfast."

"What's that behind you?" She observes suspiciously. I hide my tail as best that I am able, but to no avail. "Wow! Are you cosplaying or something? So cool!"

"Um…sure you can say that if you want." She's now probably indulging in one of her many fetishes.

"Heh, you're totally missing the ears though!" Walker says as he comes closer to me and points to my head. "Unless…" He removes my hood, quite rudely and swiftly I might add, and points at me excitedly. "No way! You're totally sporting the whole look, minus the whiskers and…"

"He has a collar!" Erika says lively. "Ohmygosh! Are you going to a convention or something? Or is this one of your secret hobbies?" If it was a secret why would I be like this in broad daylight? I mean, if I really _was_ a secret cosplayer. Furthermore, why would _this_ ever be one of my 'hobbies'? I don't even know why so many of my precious humans partake in such an activity.

"Man, I never thought you, of all people, would cosplay." Kadota says simply.

"Well, you learn something new every day. I should go. I have to—" I suddenly feel a strong tug on my tail making me clench with pain.

"It seems really attached…" Walker says as he continues to tug at my very sensitive tail. I snatch it away from him easily and turn to leave. "Well, have fun." I look back at them and suddenly realize that Erika is taking pictures of me. Wait until she sees that Shizu-chan is sporting a similar look. She's probably going to assume something very unnecessary and overly dramatic.

I head into the restaurant and sit at a booth comfortably; trying to recover from the mental strain I just went through. Dealing with those people always drains me.

"Hello Simon." I say as I look up at him.

"Ah Izaya, you're back! You order today?"

"Yes, I'll just get the usual fatty tuna, but for here today." I say as I check my messages on my phone.

"Coming right up." Simon says before leaving. I sigh as I look out the window. It's beautiful outside, crisp, sunny; just a feel-good kind of day. Unfortunately, the day doesn't seem to lighten my spirits. For years I've poked fun at the brute and it's only now that I've questioned what my reasons for doing them are. At first, I assumed that it was out of pure hatred; and also because I was always amused at how irritated Shizu-chan would be. Now, I'm not so sure that it was hatred or mischievous intentions at all. Maybe I…

"Here you go. Fatty tuna, just for you." Simon says happily. "Fighting bad, it make you very hungry, yes? No more fighting with Shizuo?"

"Tell that to him." I say with a laugh. "Even if I did want to stop fighting he'd still hate me. Thanks for the food Simon."

"No problem. Eat, eat." Simon persuades me as he leaves. He'd still hate me even if he remembered. He was mad at me when I told him. He thought I was lying, though I suppose he had every right to think so since all I've ever done is lie. A confession is a serious thing, why would I lie about it?

"Still…you can't teach an old dog new tricks…especially if he's been so used to the old ones…the ones he knows the best, the ones he's comfortable with." I say to myself as I start eating.

Shizuo's POV

Turns out Tom is pretty worried about me, so he gave me the day off, said something about "taking a load off" and relaxing. Yesterday was hectic, to say the least. Damn flea. He made me look like an idiot. I start pacing around my living room angrily. This isn't helping me to relax, but I can't help but do this since I'm so upset.

"Every time I think I've got him cornered he finds some sort of way to escape." I say to myself as I punch the wall lightly. There's a bit of a dent in it from passed frustrations. I just feel better if I can punch something rather than bottle it inside or scream inside a pillow. Suddenly the phone rings and so I answer it, sounding more bored than I really mean to.

"Hi Ni-san." I hear Kasuka say in his usual monotone voice.

"Kasuka…what's going on?" I ask curiously. Isn't he busy working on a new movie?

"I just wanted to call to see how you were doing." He says simply. "And, I was thinking if you have some free time this weekend, maybe we can hang out. I finally have some time off work, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for us to spend some time together."

"Um…" I say as I notice my tail is wagging happily. I shake my head in disbelief. This is really bad timing. I mean…good timing because I have some time off too, but bad timing because right now…I'm a fucking dog! I can't let him see me like this… "That sounds great." I say dully.

"Alright then, I'll see you on Sunday morning, let's say nine o'clock?"

"Yeah that sounds great…"

"Alright see you then." Kasuka says before hanging up.

"FUCK!" I say loudly after I hang up the phone gently. I run my fingers through my hair before checking my messages on my phone. I have one unread message from Shinra; that idiot. I read it aloud to myself. "Need to see you both today again. Sorry for the inconvenience, but just want to inform you both on some things before I leave you two to your own devices." I sigh and get my pack of cigarettes before heading out the door.

As I lock my door I hear to distinct girl voices. I immediately recognize the annoying voices as Mairu and Kururi and then I hear _his_ voice. I would have gladly preferred "_his_ voice" to mean God's voice (even if I'm not so religious) instead of the parasite's.

"You're copying our style Ni-san!" Mairu says angrily as she points her index finger at the flea. Izaya doesn't seem too bothered by them, but looks can be deceiving, especially if it's Izaya.

"Copy." Kururi repeats dully.

"Will you two brats be quiet?" Izaya says with an annoyed expression. "I told you, these ears are real; the tail too."

"No way! You're lying." Mairu says as Kururi gets behind her big brother and tugs at his tail, making him flinch uncomfortably. "Kururi what do you think?"

"Hey get away from my tail!" Izaya says as he turns around and glares at the twins. "Look, believe whatever you wish, at least I know the truth."

"Ni-san enough with the games, you said you would take us somewhere today."

"I said nothing of the sort." Izaya says simply as he massages his aching tail.

"Well, let's just pretend you were a really nice brother and promised to take us somewhere, hmm?" Mairu says bitterly. Izaya looks a little taken aback by the sudden remark but then calms himself and sighs.

"Fine, where do you two want to go then?"

"To the amusement park!" Mairu says happily. Kururi nods in agreement with a smile.

"Let me rephrase the question, where do you two want to go that's not unreasonably unattainable." Izaya says dully.

"Fine…can we go see Yuhei?"

"No, what did I _just_ say?!" Izaya says as he face palms himself. I smirk at this. Seeing him get frustrated is probably going to become my favorite pastime. He sighs and then runs his fingers through his hair. "If only Shinra gave me lion's blood, then you two wouldn't act so disobedient around me." I barely hear him whisper to himself. "Listen, we're going to the park. End of story."

"That's a real stupid ending for a story." Mairu protests. "We want to go somewhere fun! Don't you know what that is?!"

"I wouldn't know; spending the day with you two is never fun! So how the heck would I know!?" The twins suddenly go silent and then their eyes start to water. Izaya then sighs again before patting their heads. "Look, I'm just stressed because of my work. I'm sorry." _Izaya_ apologized? There's so many ways that that seems wrong to me. It seemed so out of place. I push my sunglasses up to the bridge of my nose as I watch the three head off somewhere.

"I could…follow them…" I say to myself as I look at the three walking happily, well minus Izaya. I nod and decide to trail after them. "Shinra did say to head back to his place whenever we could. Might as well follow Izaya and then head over there with him." The plan made sense in my head, so I went with it.

While watching the three siblings, I noticed how Izaya was merely spending time with them rather than having fun with them. He was there, but he was just sort of going along with by force. He didn't really smile much either, but it seemed like he was doing all this crap—shopping, watching a movie, eating dinner, and relaxing with them—because he didn't want to make them sad. He seemed to care a little bit about them despite him being a total prick.

After they left Izaya sat on a bench by the water fountain for a while just watching people go by. His ears suddenly twitch as if he picked up some sort of sound. He turns and looks at me with a smirk.

"Ah Shizu-chan, I didn't notice you standing there. Have a seat." He says as he pats the seat beside himself.

"Actually, Shinra probably already sent you a text, but just in case he didn't, he wants us to head over to his place to discuss…things…" I say simply.

"Ah, you're being so well-behaved, Shizu-chan. For, what seemed like two and half hours you just watched me and my little sisters hang out together." I flinch and suddenly get kind of angry. He knew I was here? Little louse, acting like he didn't know!

"Yeah, well, no use fighting while we're like this."

"Actually, wouldn't it make more sense to be fighting while we're like this since dogs and cats don't get along?"

"Shut up, flea." I say as I grab a cigarette out of the pack and light it.

"Such a disgusting habit." Izaya comments icily. He sighs and then gets up before heading off in the direction of Shinra's apartment. I follow him as I smoke my cigarette, probably annoying him to no end.

* * *

A/N: Who loves big brother Izaya? xD Everybody has a fetish over pulling Izaya's tail xD Pffft, I think Shizuo was a bit jealous :3 Even if he thought it was funny. Anyway, please review :D


	5. Stuff to Know

Yay, another chapter. Please enjoy and review at the end! :3 If there are any mistakes, you may tell me if they're extremely bothersome. Thanks to all who have been reviewing. You guys make me happy! Also, lurkeranon, you made me laugh with your most recent review xD "Everything looks good with Izaya." Now I can't read that line any other way :D Which isn't a bad thing. Let's see if anyone can find some funny quotes out of context, because it never notice them :P

* * *

**Izaya's POV**

He's following me…that's not really what's bothering me…it's that he's _smoking_ while he's following me. I don't partake in such a disgusting habit, but the brute certainly loves to damage his lungs with that "cancer stick" as some call it so accurately. Not like I care, I'd love for him to keel over, but I rather not go along with him because of this stupid second-hand smoke.

"Mind smoking in a windowless, oxygen-deprived room?" I say with a smirk. "Since you love to smoke so much."

"I wouldn't have to smoke if you would just stay out of Ikebukuro and stay the fuck away from me." He says bitterly. He growls a bit before taking a drag of his cigarette. I sigh.

We head upstairs to Shinra's apartment once we reach the building and then finally make it to his door. I knock softly, but loudly enough that he or Celty should be able to hear me.

"Ah, welcome back!" Shinra says jubilantly as he opens the door for us. "I see you two haven't killed each other."

"Yet." We both say in unison unexpectedly.

"Heh, looks like you guys are getting along just fine." Shinra says with his usual goofy smile. He's annoying me more than usual.

"If I didn't know better, it would sound as if this amuses you, Shinra. So much so that it sounds as if this was your plan all along." I say smartly. I'm not one to be wrong on my assumptions. Shinra isn't too difficult to figure out either. Celty's trustworthy enough and she seems to be on Shinra's side, but I don't trust anyone regardless if they have been reliable for many years.

"Don't be so quick to assume things." Shinra says confidently. "If this was some sort of devious plan to get you two to become friends, I would have done it years ago."

"Years ago you didn't have the opportunity as you did now." I explain.

[Stop interrogating Shinra, Izaya. He'd never take advantage of such a dire situation.] Celty quickly pushes the PDA forward to me; she seems frustrated. Even if she beats Shinra, she seems to like him a lot. Love is a peculiar thing that feeds on it's host without one knowing sometimes.

"Never say never~" I say in singsong fashion.

"Right, well let me go get the list. I'll be right back." Shinra says before leaving Shizu-chan and I alone in the living room with Celty. I look over to the coffee table and see a box of chocolates lying there, tempting any chocolate lover with its sweet scent. I smirk as I remember something I heard from a TV show I had watched once. I take one of the sweet morsels and present it to Shizu-chan's attention.

"What…?" He asks suspiciously.

"Have one." I say happily. Shizu-chan takes it in his hand and is about to put it in his mouth when Shinra snatches it away, accidently smashing it in the palm of his hand. He looks angry at first but then notices the smashed chocolate candy in his hand. He sighs as he reaches for a napkin from the kitchen. He cleans his hand before glaring at me.

"Izaya, you know full well that dogs can't have chocolate!" Shinra says angrily. I roll my eyes and then smile as I pat his shoulder.

"What!? You could have poisoned me, you little rat!"

"You would have poisoned yourself. You're such a protozoan; if you had known before, you would have been smart of enough to decline my offer." I say with a laugh. "You're so gullible."

"Fuck you." Shizu-chan says angrily.

"Well, I was actually going to inform you both of small facts you should know about your animalistic parts, so what Izaya had presented us was a fine example of a little fact about dogs. Dogs can't have chocolate, and interestingly neither can cats." Shinra says simply. "Let's run down the list then, shall we?" I make myself comfortable on the one-seat couch, sitting vertically again like last time. I start purring in content at how comfortable I'm feeling at the moment, despite being in the same room as the brute.

A few hours are eaten away by Shinra babbling on tidbits about dogs and cats such as cats can see in the dark better than humans can, dogs can taste sweet things and enjoy them more than cats, cats only meow at humans not other cats, and male dogs urinate the way they do (by lifting their leg up) because they want to aim higher at whatever it is they're urinating on so they can appear taller to other dogs. Such facts were certainly interesting, but bored me nevertheless.

"Shinra…did you tell us to come here just to spout out pointless facts?" I ask him as I stretch a little, hanging my head over the armrest with a bored expression on my face.

"They aren't pointless. I think they're very interesting, not only that but some of these things you're gonna need to know so you can be careful of your animalistic instincts. Jot down anything that may be note-worthy so I can put it in my research book." Shinra says a bit too happily. "Also, try to avoid confrontation with other cats and dogs…I don't know what might happen." I suddenly notice a certain scent wafting in the air. "Um…that being said…um…Izaya if you would kindly leave now?"

"Is there another cat in here?" I ask with a hiss. Shinra laughs nervously as he heads over to shut the door of Celty's bedroom.

"Shinra." I say demandingly.

"It was Celty's idea!" Shinra says as he points fingers at the dullahan. "She wanted a cat since, for some strange reason, our fish disappeared." Everyone suddenly looks at me disapprovingly.

"What?" I ask calmly. "I didn't have anything to do with it. I have an alibi; I was with my sister's all day today."

"Yeah, but last night, I heard someone in the living room." Shizu-chan mentions casually.

"Well…you have no proof it was me."

"It was you." Shinra says immediately. "Once someone says that, it definitely sounds like a confession." I hiss with discontent.

"What are you, a psychologist?" I say bitterly.

"I might as well be." Shinra shrugs with a smile. "Anyway, Celty was kind of amused with the way you had treated her the first day when I broke the news to you that you were a cat. And so, since you ate our fish apparently, Celty suggested we get a cat to amuse us." Shinra explains plainly. "His name is Blackstorm."

"Why the heck did you name him that?" Shizu-chan asks curiously.

"I didn't, Celty did. She said she named him that because he's black and he acts very violently towards me, so that's where the 'storm' part comes from."

"No offense Celty, but that name is kind of lame." I say with a smirk.

[What would _you_ have named him then, Izaya.] Her message, although lacks any kind of word to lead me to figure out its tone, seems kind of offended in a way.

"I don't know, but I definitely wouldn't have named him 'Blackstorm'." I say mockingly. "Sounds like something from a manga." I say as I laugh a little. "Let me see him."

"I don't think that's a good idea." I suddenly hear a soft meow coming from Shinra's room.

"He wants to get out, so let him out." I say a bit demandingly.

"Fine…" Shinra says as he opens the door and allows the black cat to wander out of the room and onto the head rest of the couch, beside Celty. Shinra takes this as a good opportunity to try and pet the small creature, but gets nothing but a scratch to the hand and an angry meow. "Ow!" Shinra says as he holds his now wounded hand.

"He says he doesn't like you." I say with a smirk.

"He 'says' as in you can understand him?" I nod simply.

"You guys got him from the shelter?" I ask as I sit down on the one-seat couch.

"Yeah, why?"

"Seems like he generally doesn't like men. Maybe he was abused by his owner a lot, who just so happened to by a man, so he deems men as monstrous?"

"He told you all that?"

"No, but I just figured since he seems to like Celty just fine. It's either he doesn't like you specifically or he generalizes his anger towards men, including you in that generalization though I wouldn't." I say with a smile. Shinra glares at me, but then looks at the cat.

"Can't you tell him that I'm not going to hurt him?"

"I'm not sure how. I can understand him just fine, but I'm not sure how to communicate to him. Besides, he hates me too. He's looking at me too intensively to want to be friends with me."

"That cat is smart enough to know you're a troublemaking louse. No wonder he doesn't want to be friends with you. I'm one hundred percent positive not even Shinra and Celty want to be friends with you; if they even are your friends." Shizu-chan says angrily. I glare at him before grabbing the bell that was on my collar that Shinra had removed and put on the TV cabinet next to me and tossing the thing across the room. Shizu-chan immediately chases after the bell, grabbing it in his mouth once he catches it.

"Fucking flea!" Shizu-chan says as he sits in the corner of the room with the bell sitting next to him.

"Hmm, maybe I was wrong…Maybe you're a Golden Retriever of some sort? But what's up with the erected ears?" Shizu-chan looks at Shinra with an annoyed expression before walking over to him and grabbing him by the collar.

"Does that even matter?! Are you even trying to find a way to cure us or are you just enjoying every minute of this and lazing around at home all day?" Shizu-chan asks with malice. I smile as I look at the protozoan getting more and more infuriated.

"Look, I'm doing everything in my power to find as much information as I can about how to change you two back, but it's going to take some time. That's why I wanted to inform you of as much facts about your animalistic parts as possible; my point being that you may have to get used to being like this for a while, so I just wanted to prepare you. I'm really sorry about this…really I am…"

**Shizuo's POV**

I don't know if I can believe him, but I have to. It's not like being angry about this is gonna help. I sigh as I lie down on my bed. I left after Shinra told us that he wouldn't need to see us for research, but if we wanted to go and talk to him, ask him questions, or just hang out he had no problem with visits. I don't really plan on heading back there anytime soon though. Going over to Shinra's just reminds me of my situation and that really ticks me off. Having to go around like this for who knows how long is upsetting. I'm not talking about the kind of upsetting where you keep loaning money to someone who obviously won't pay you back no matter how many times you remind them, I'm talking about the kind of upsetting where that same guy isn't paying you back and he just kicked your dog in the face after telling you that he never really needed the money for anything except to spend it all on the casino machines.

No…I can't come up with a better fucking example…It's just _that_ upsetting. It almost upsets me as much as seeing Izaya. My phone starts ringing so I decide to pick it up to get my mind off the whole situation.

"Hey, Shizuo." I hear Tom's voice on the other end. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I was fine the day you let me have a day off…"

"I know you _looked_ fine, but you were acting strange…" Tom says worriedly. "Look, if there's something going on, you can talk to me about it."

"I don't have any problems, unless you count Izaya." And the ears and tail…

"Well, just try to forget about him."

"I would if I could, but he's not something I can ignore that easily. He's like a fly that keeps zooming around you while you're trying to eat." I say bitterly.

"Ah, that is a bit annoying." Tom says with a laugh. A bit? That's more than a bit annoying if you think about where that fly has been before you started eating; yeah, they've been in _garbage_, and you're trying to _eat_. "Look, I'm going out of town for a week. I have some personal business to attend to, so you can relax. Think of it a small vacation."

"Alright…" I say awkwardly. Tom hasn't given me a "vacation" before so this is kind of unexpected, but it's nice so I can finally get some time to myself to—I don't know—laze around? "I'll be sure to take your advice and take it easy then."

"Good, and by the way, you're brother and I met up and he said he was wondering how you were doing. I told him that you were fine. If you don't want to talk about things with me, you should consider talking to your bro." Tom says happily. "Kasuka is understanding; he's kind of quiet, but I'm guessing that he's a good listener. Anyway, I'll see you in a week."

"ByeTom, have a safe trip." I say before hanging up the phone. I sigh before rolling over. I suddenly get another call, this time it's even more unexpected after hearing whose voice it was.

"Hello Shizu-chan~" I hear Izaya's annoying voice say over the phone. "Before you hang up," He says as I'm about to do just that. "I wanted to say that since you're free for a week, how about we spend some time together?"

"What?! Were you tapping into my phone call?" I ask angrily.

"How else would I have known that information Shizu-chan? Such a protozoan you are." Izaya says; I can tell he's smirking. "So, what are you up to?"

"I was about to go to bed. What the hell are you calling me for?"

"I was bored and Namie already left for home. So I called to pester you~" He says as he purrs. Suddenly things get quiet, and I'm about to ask him if he's still there when he speaks again, this time his tone of voice is a bit more serious. "Is there anything you remember from the crash, Shizu-chan?"

"Like what?"

"Well, anything really. Has everything about the incident resurfaced in your memory or have you forgotten most of what happened?"

"I only remember the point before we got hit; nothing else really." I say as I grit my teeth. I guess he's asking because he remembers what happened. I want to forget about it. Nothing good will come from it if I say that I remember.

"Oh…" He sounds…disappointed…And I already know why, but it's not like I'm trying to actually be an asshole. It's better if he thinks I forgot. I don't want things to change. It's better this way. "Well, I guess I'll see you around the city then, Shizu-chan. Bye." He says and hangs up quickly. He's acting strange…I don't like it.

I close my eyes and hope for tomorrow to be better than today…but I know that wishing for things doesn't work in the real world. At least I can dream of something better.

* * *

A/N: More to come soon. Please review for more! Thank you for reading :)


	6. Fleas

**Important (sort of)**:Those of you who are wondering if Shizuo and Izaya are gonna turn back to 'normal' can vote, I have a poll on my profile. I will decide by your votes whether to keep them as they are or change them back to their human forms :3 Secondly, REVIEWS ARE MUCH LOVED xD

Enjoy~!

* * *

As daybreaks and the light enters my room from the torn curtains I find out that I was right about reality not being better than dreams. I think I was dreaming of a big steak last night, whereas right now as I'm waking up I feel really uncomfortable. It's kind of cold, but that's not what's bothering me most. I scratch the back of my head and then my arms and legs. Damn it…

"Don't tell me…" My ears twitch slightly, making me even itchier. DAMN IT.

I can't believe it…I have fleas! I know…it sounds really stupid since I call Izaya 'flea.' These bugs are a little less annoying, but I really don't like having to scratch myself every two seconds. I pick up my cell phone and dial Shinra's number. There's nothing more annoying than waiting for someone to pick up when you have some important to ask them. It frustrates the hell out of me.

"Yes?" Shinra says groggily.

"Shinra, what the hell!?"

"'What the hell', what?" Shinra asks simply.

"Why the fuck do I have fleas?!" I say as I continue scratching myself.

"Oh…" I hear him laugh nervously then he clears his throat. "Well…you might have gotten them from Blackstorm…we discovered yesterday, after you two left, that the little guy has fleas. We got him a nice flea collar though, so he's not scratching anymore."

"Where do you by those?" I ask impatiently. "Don't tell me…"

"At the pet store." Shinra says cheerfully.

It's all that damn cat's fault…and this time I'm not talking about Izaya, which is unexpected. Here I am, in a damn pet store when everybody probably already knows full-well that I don't own a pet. Not to mention I'm still "cosplaying." I sigh as I look around the store, suddenly getting very excited when I see the toys section. My tail starts wagging, but I ignore it as I walk passed the section and head down into the collar section. There I see a lot of bright colored, sparkly, and spiked collars that I shake my head to. Still no sign of the flea collar, but as I'm about to go to another section I spot it. I'm about to grab it when I see someone else's hand about to take it also. This hand, however, was far too familiar for me to begin to act polite. The silver ring on the index finger was a dead giveaway.

"Izaya." I say icily.

"Shizu-chan, what a surprise to see you here." He says cheerfully, although his face is making somewhat of an uncomfortable look. "Are you buying something in particular?"

"Yeah, I'm buying a flea collar because Shinra's damn cat had fleas when we went over the other day." I say angrily. I take one of the flea collars that are on the rack and look at it. I begin reading the instructions and whatnot. Izaya takes a collar off the rack too and examines it.

"Ah, it even has a warranty~" Izaya states happily. "I don't know why a collar that only cost 550 yen would need a warranty, but eh, I'm not going to complain." I look at the collar he grabbed and smirked.

"That's pink." Izaya looks at me curiously before looking down at the collar.

"So?"

"So, pink is a girl's color." I say with a smile.

"Pink can be a boy's color. Colors are neutral; it's society that places labels to them." Izaya points out with a grin. "Besides I like pink."

"_You_ like pink?" I ask with disbelief.

"Yes, it's calming."

"It's a feminine color." I add.

"Well, as they say, 'a real man wears pink.'"

"Yeah, a real _gay_ man." I add as I roll my eyes. "Besides, who the fuck is 'they'?"

"May I help you two?" An employee asks, patiently awaiting our answer.

"Don't group us together like that." Izaya comments bitterly. "Do you have this in a larger size?"

"Um…I can go check in the back, but cat collars don't usually come in larger sizes." She points out nervously.

"Well, its fine if you can find a dog collar then, but I want it the same color~" Izaya says happily. The woman nods as she walks off and disappears through a large door.

"You're fucking weird." I comment as I walk over to the register. Izaya follows me, skipping like an idiot behind me. I get out my wallet as the cashier runs the item through the scanner and tells me the price. I give them the money and then look over to Izaya who's talking to the employee who had gone to the back to look for his frilly pink dog collar. He pays for his collar and then follows me outside where I'm trying to calm myself down by smoking. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Putting the collar on; does it look like I'm doing something else?" Izaya says as he unbuckles the other collar and tosses it to me while he puts on the flea collar. He looks like a fucking idiot. "I feel a bit better."

"Everybody's staring, you know?"

"They must be looking at my sexy body." Izaya says with a laugh. "Anyway, that was—" Whatever Izaya was going to say, it was interrupted by him hearing something off in the distance, his ears acting like sonar and pointing towards the direction of the sound. He then faces his head in the direction of the sound and then runs off the opposite direction.

"Where the fuck are you going?!" I yell angrily. Not like I care that he's ditching me, but still, it's good to know where this louse is gonna be next so I can avoid him.

"Anywhere but here!" He says as he makes his way through the crowd. I suddenly hear the loud, various barks coming from the direction where Izaya was hearing. I laugh as I see a few dogs following the flea down the city streets. I follow the pack of dogs calmly and when I finally reach their victim, who's in a large tree, I laugh hysterically. "Shut up Shizu-chan! This isn't funny! Get them away from me!"

"I can't. I don't know how to communicate with them. Not like I would want to anyway; this is just too good of an opportunity to waste."

"You fucking brute!"

"Ah, getting mad, are we?" I say as I continue my amused laughing. "This is what you get for causing me trouble all the time. Fucking louse." Izaya clings onto the tree, impatiently waiting for the dogs to tire and head home or head to their master's, but such a thing doesn't happen, not even when an hour goes by. The dogs, by this time, are just lying down under the tree, waiting for when Izaya will get tired and come down. By now, it's getting kind of pathetic. I look up and Izaya is still clinging onto the tree, sitting there a little downheartedly.

"Alright all of you," I begin to say as I get up. "Go home." One of the smaller dogs barks at me. "No, this cat's mine, got it?" I say with a low growl. They seem to understand since they begin trotting away, all of them getting up and following each other from whence they came. "Flea, are you still alive up there?"

"I suppose." He says bitterly. "You couldn't have done that earlier?"

"I could have, but I didn't want to." I say happily. "Now get down from there. I don't have time for this crap." I say as I take another cigarette out from the box. I suddenly hear some branches above me snap and then I get knocked down by the fucking flea's weight as he comes crashing down. "What the fuck, flea!"

"I couldn't get down! And then the branch broke!" He explains as he points up towards the broken branch. "I think I hurt my ankle…" I look at him and then examine his ankle and notice it is a bit swollen and has a few cuts probably when he was forced down.

"Here, I can carry you since you seem so pathetic." I say as I lend out my hand. He takes it and gets up, but limps to one side, probably because it hurts to put pressure on his left ankle. "Put your arm around my shoulder." He does as I tell him to (surprisingly) and leans close to me so he's a bit more stable.

"Why are you being so nice to me, Shizu-chan?" I feel like he's already asked me this question.

"Just because, flea; don't question a good thing." I say as I help him get to the nearest bench as I go get some ice pack from the store across the street. "Here, you owe me 400 yen."

"Yeah…I'll pay you later…" Izaya says kind of sadly. I sit down next to him and open the bag with my flea collar in it.

"I wish this thing could repel all kinds of pests." I say as I look at him. I put the collar on and fit it snuggly on my neck.

"I wish it could repel monsters." He says as he looks at me with a smirk.

"You're as much of a monster as I am." I counter bitterly.

"That may be so, but you're also a protozoan, which I'm not."

"You're a fucking lunatic!"

"So are you. What kind of sane person would be going around the city pulling stop signs and bus stop signs from their rightful places? You cause a bunch of car accidents, I'm sure."

"Well, at least I don't stalk people!"

"I'm observing their reactions and tendencies. I'm not stalking. Stalking is for perverted people."

"Then you're a pervert."

"I'm sensing a lot of sexual tension coming from you, Shizu-chan. You're much more of a pervert than I am."

"I am not!"

"And you're a bad liar~" He says with a laugh.

"Pyschopath."

"You didn't deny that you were a bad liar." He smirks. I get angrier as I look at that stupid smirk, the same smirk he gave me the first time we met. I suddenly grab a hold of his tail and pull it fiercely. He howls in pain, though it sounds more like a meow kind of howl. He snatches his tail out of my grasp and bares his fangs at me. "That hurt, you brute!"

"It was supposed to, flea." I say as I grit my teeth. "I wouldn't have done something to make you feel good." He massages his tail and seems to be pouting; at least it looks like he would be if he wasn't so prideful. Some people passing us by seem to be staring, but then look away as I glare at them. I look over to Izaya who isn't facing me anymore and who seems to be still massaging his tail or just holding onto it out of habit. "I didn't pull it that hard. Don't be such a baby."

"I'm not being a baby. I just like holding onto my tail. It's soft." He says defensively.

"Is that your new fetish?"

"Are you implying that I had an _old_ fetish? If so, you're truly mistaken on both accounts, since I never had and do not have a fetish."

"You have a fetish over watching humans, which is sick."

"It's not a 'fetish', it's a hobby. And don't you ever pull on my tail again!"

This argument isn't going anywhere, but we seem to enjoy making each other angry, which actually makes me feel relieved. This is what I'm used to.

"What's that sound?" Izaya asks as his cat ears move slightly, and then face in the direction of the noise.

"Hmm?" I ask as my dog ears suddenly twitch. "Sounds like a motorcycle." The motorcycle sounds much more like a horse. At this point, I realize it's Celty. She parks close to where we are and gets off her motorcycle before typing a message on her PDA for us.

[What are you guys doing?]

"Sitting…" I answer dully. "Izaya hurt his ankle."

[And you're waiting for him?]

"What?! Fuck no!" I say loudly. "I just…I was just bored so I decided to sit here."

"Again, you're a bad liar, Shizu-chan~" Izaya says with a smirk. "Celty, you have impeccable timing. I need you to give me a ride to my apartment. I can't really walk too well."

[It's either I'm deaf and I didn't quite hear you say 'please' or you didn't say it at all.]

"Now, now Celty, does it really matter?" Celty gets on her bike and turns it on before slowly starting to drive off, which is when Izaya puts his hands in the air, telling her to wait. "I get it, you're the type of person—supernatural entity—that likes to hear such unnecessary words like 'thank you' and 'excuse me' and 'please'; can I infer that much?" Izaya asks with a laugh. Celty types a quick yes and waits for said 'please' to be told. "Fine, please take me to my humble abode oh fair courier." Izaya says dramatically.

[I could do without the dramatics.]

"It's either you get it like that or not at all." Izaya says with a Cheshire cat smile. Celty allows Izaya to hop on behind her and then looks towards me. He nuzzles her back with his head affectionately, but then stops as she looks at him.

[Sorry I can't take you along Shizuo. I'll see you later.]

"Bye Shizu-chan." Izaya says as he smirks. Celty makes him a helmet before riding off; disappearing out of my sight once they turn the corner. I sigh as I put my hands in my pockets and slowly head to my own apartment. Tomorrow's Sunday…Kasuka will be visiting me tomorrow at nine o'clock in the morning. I think that Kasuka will understand if I tell him what's really going on. I don't really want to lie to him. I'd feel guilty if I did. I mean, I got fired from the job he wanted me to keep; he was counting on me staying there and I let him down. I couldn't bring myself to lie to him after all that, even though it _was_ Izaya's fault.

I head inside my apartment and crash on my bed; I still feel a bit itchy and there are a bunch of red dots on my body, but I rather not count them. I sniff around and decide to get something to eat before watching some cartoons. It's only noon, so there's no reason to go to bed.

**Izaya's POV**

It's difficult to get by like this. I can't schedule any appointments because I rather not let my clients see me like this. They'll think I'm vulnerable and try to test me. They might even laugh at me, which is the most plausible idea. I rather not go through with that so, I've been resuming work by taking care of the cases which I don't have to meet face to face with the person. It's been working out rather well. Being the sly cat that I am (now) I can gather much more information. Granted, I can't fit my entire body through a hole that I can fit my head into, but I do a better job at sneaking around as a cat hybrid. I also very much enjoy this tail's warmth and silky feel.

"Hmm, I better call Namie and tell her I'm deducting her pay when she's not coming to work. I thought she already knew that though…" I say as I scratch my chin. I walk towards the kitchen and search for some left over fatty tuna from yesterday. Luckily, it's in the front so I don't have to look too hard. I sit on my couch and turn on the television as I dig into my lunch.

"Let's see what's on TV~" I say happily as I turn on the TV and sit back, slightly purring as I relax. I scan the channels for anything good, but every time I try to settle to some program, cat commercials catch my eye and I end up just watching those for twenty minutes in all. My mouth seems to salivate whenever I see any sort of cat food commercial which disturbs me. Before, those commercials didn't appeal to me whatsoever. "So boring…" I say as I sit upside down on my couch. Suddenly the doorbell rings, making me jolt a bit. A disturbed meow escapes my mouth before I go over and carefully open the door. "Namie, so you decided to show up for work!"

"Yeah, well you weren't answering your—what the heck is on your head?" She asks as she takes notice of my velvety soft ears, not really noticing my tail. "And what's _that_?" She says as she points to my tail which is swaying happily behind me. I only smile contently and allow her to come in.

"I'm not paying you to ask stupid, nosey questions." I say with a smirk. "Now head over to my desk and arrange my paperwork. Put it in alphabetical order for me and then chronological order by date."

"Fine…" She says as she walks past me and collects all the messy piles of papers and spreads them out on her working desk. I sit on my couch and laze around for a moment before looking at my game board. All the pieces have been untouched for some time now. "Mind telling me why you have those stupid features now?" She asks without looking at me.

"I'm cosplaying for the week or two."

"_You_? Why?"

"Why not? I actually think I look quite adorable this way." I say as I try to pose in a cute manner, which isn't very difficult for someone like me.

"You're as adorable as a cockroach." She says icily.

"Now, now Namie, no need to act so bitterly towards me. If the long vacation from work made you forget, I'll remind you that I'm the one who signs your checks~"

"Troll." She comments almost inaudibly. "That's the only reason why I keep working with you. I hope you realize that."

"Not like I enjoy your company either." I counter dryly as I lie on my couch. Suddenly I hear shuffling from my desk drawers and notice that she picked out something from them.

"Why do you have an empty can of catnip in your drawers?" I snatch it from her immediately and my senses are completely overtaken by the scent that still remains from the empty can, the scent lingering in the air, intoxicating my senses. "Are you okay, not like I care, but you look high."

"Shut up." I say as I hide the can in a different area. "I'm going to take a cat nap…wake me before you leave for the day."

"Yeah, yeah." She says as she waves me goodnight. I then hear her whisper. "Hope you suffocate in your sleep." It doesn't really bother me. A lot of people give me death threats, sometimes when we're face to face. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, ignoring Namie's whispered complaints.

**Shizuo's POV**

"I was just bored." I explain simply to Celty as I sit on the couch, face first. "There's nothing to do until tomorrow since Tom is gone…" Celty sits next to me and scratches my head, ruffling my hair as she does so. My tail wags as I happily enjoy the attention. Shinra laughs a little and comments something along the lines of Tom being like my owner. "Shut the fuck up Shinra."

"I'm just telling you the facts. Dogs get lonely when their owners leave." Shinra says as he sits down on the one-seat couch. "Anyway, how are you and Izaya doing with this whole being part animal thing?"

"I still want to punch you in the face. Does that say anything about how I'm doing?"

"I suppose…" Shinra says as he laughs nervously. "Well, Izaya seems to have taken to himself being a cat. He told me over the phone that he feels like it could help him in his line of work, somehow…"

"Damn cat." Celty continues to scratch my head affectionately, which makes my tail wag. She scratches behind my dogs ears which make me wag my tail even faster.

"You know, Izaya is sometimes pretty intolerable, but he can have his moments." Shinra says with a smile. "Especially with his sister's." Oh right…that day when he took them to the park. "Izaya had a pretty normal childhood, but he never really understood what it meant to have friends or to be friendly. He also hasn't experienced general love and love towards one person. He told me a while back that he had once liked someone, but that his feelings weren't returned so he isolated himself from relationships." Shinra takes a book from a small bookshelf next to the TV and sighs. "I know he can be a pain sometimes, especially towards you, but I bet somewhere inside him he's really struggling to contain feelings which he doesn't wish to feel. He's suppressed humanistic feelings so far because when he was younger he was so fascinated with human tendencies, their thoughts, their reactions, their feelings. He never wanted to take into account that he might bare those same things because he observed the awful things that happen to people when they let their lives become driven by them. He wanted to gain control of those obstacles so he could be almost god-like. Thus, I believe he enjoys watching other people suffer and react so much because he doesn't experience those kinds of things himself."

"And you don't think he's just being a dick?"

"I guess so…but I'm guessing that he's being that way because he doesn't want anyone to get close. He's pushing people away so he doesn't get hurt. I suppose its better that way otherwise he'd be even more psychologically unmanageable."

"Who was it…?"

"Who was what?"

"Who was it that rejected him?"

"Ah…he didn't say…well no, that's not true. I'm pretty sure he said but I wasn't listening. My memory gets foggy a lot."

"You forgot is what you're saying."

"Yeah…" Shinra says nervously. "It was such a long time ago."

"Well no use in trying to dig up the past." I say as my ears twitch. _Izaya_ was in love with someone? Why do I feel a bit angry when I hear that? If he was in love with someone and they rejected him, so what? It's not my place to be angry about it. That little rat deserves it right?

[Izaya just called me…]

"For what reason?" Shinra asks worriedly.

[He wrote … "Secret's out, can't blame me; she's a bit too clever for her own good." Is it something we should worry about?]

"Nah, Izaya can handle it. I only said to keep the truth a secret because it'd be more troublesome for the two of them if people found out the features were real. Animals can be manipulated kind of easily, like humans. Sometimes animals manipulate humans, sometimes it's the other way around, but since they have both human and animal blood, things get a bit tricky."

"What's happening?"

"Someone knows that Izaya's features are real. He's gonna have some tough times ahead of him." Shinra says with a smile. "It's nothing to worry over though. I'm sure things with pan out."

* * *

A/N: Who do you guys figured out Izaya was really a cat hybrid? xD I bet you guys know. Free cookies for the people who review :D


	7. Sunday Chaos

I bring you more! Please review if you are able ;3 I love them a lot. Every. Single. One. Hope that didn't sound creepy xD

**Announcement**: I forgot to say last time how long the poll will be up for xD I'm thinking until the 10th chapter it will be up. And so I will decide by that time whether to keep them as they are FOREVER or change them back.

* * *

**Shizuo's POV**

I wake up to the bright sunlight in my eyes, which annoys me, but there's nothing much I can do about the sun. Even if I close the curtains it's still really bright, besides my curtains still have holes in them. I yawn as I serve a bowl of cereal, watching the clock to see if my brother is gonna be here soon. It's eight thirty, I overslept. I scratch the back of my head and then remember yesterday. I head over to my room again and put on the flea collar I had bought. When I look at myself in the mirror, I feel really annoyed. It's not every day that you feel like a clown.

I get dressed after taking a short shower. I brush my hair and then wait for my brother to arrive. I haven't seen him in a long time. We barely hang out or talk, at least not after losing my job. But things sort of panned out after I explained what happened. I suddenly hear the doorbell and head over to the door to see who it is, though I already have a clue. I open it and see my brother, just as indifferent as ever.

"Good morning Ni-san." He says dully.

"Morning." I say back with the same enthusiasm. He immediately looks at my ears with curiosity. I nervously scratch the back of my head, trying to find a good excuse. "Um…I lost a bet…"

"They look real." He says matter-of-factly.

"Well…can you keep a secret?" I ask him. He nods simply, so I begin to explain what had happened to me, though leaving out the details about who had done this. After I'm done he examines me while keeping his usual straight face. He nods and then looks at me.

"It suits you." I look at him dully.

"That's not what I was hoping you'd say, Kasuka."

"And what were you hoping I would say?"

"I don't know, just not that." I say as I face palm myself. The doorbell suddenly rings again and as it does I ask him if he brought company with him, which he answers no. I don't really want to know who's at the door. I open it and then clench my fists as I see the person standing there.

"Good morning, Shizu-chan. Am I interrupting something?" Izaya says with a Cheshire cat smile.

"What the fuck are you doing here, flea!?" I ask angrily as I crush the doorknob in my hand.

"I just wanted to stop by. I have something to tell you~"

"It can't be anything good."

"Ni-san…did the same thing happen to him?" Kasuka says as he points at Izaya. "And isn't this the guy who you said you hated during high school."

"I _still_ hate this guy!" I correct him. Izaya looks over behind me and spots my brother. He sort of seems saddened then smiles weakly.

"Ah…your brother's here…" Izaya says a bit drearily. "Never mind, it wasn't important." Kasuka approaches me and looks at Izaya. "I'll just be leaving. Though Sunday is the weekend for most, I'm still busy."

"You should invite him along, Ni-san." I push Kasuka to the side and glare at him. "Just hear me out. It seems he really wants to talk to you about something important. And even though you say you hate him and that he hates you back—"

"That's because I do hate him and he hates me too!" Kasuka puts his hand up, silencing me for the moment.

"I can tell you two share a special bond."

"Are you sure _you're_ not the one who got into a hit and run and hit _your_ head, Kasuka?" I look back to Izaya, who is playing with the little mail slot door on my door. I bark at him and then growl with irritation as he continues to open and close the small door. "Flea, what the fuck are you doing?" He glances up at me and then gets up from his squatting position.

"Nothing, just waiting for you to finish talking with your brother, brute."

"Would you like to come with us, Izaya-kun?" Kasuka asks calmly as he looks at Izaya's ears twitching. "I mean if you're not too busy."

"Well, if it's okay with Shizu-chan~" Of course it's not okay with me, but I can't disobey my brother's wishes. He always wants me to meet new friends and have good relationships with all kinds of people. He's like Shinra, always butting into people's lives, but Kasuka is a milder case. He's just worried about me, probably thinks that if he makes my enemy my friend then I'll be less stressed, but it's completely impossible. We've hated each other for too long to just suddenly become pals all of a sudden. Izaya's never gonna change; he's gonna always be an annoying flea.

"Just don't bug me today and maybe you can tell me what you wanted to tell me before, but later." I say before asking Kasuka where he wants to go. He suggests a trip into the city, maybe to go see a movie. I say it's fine; I don't really go to the movies much, but it's an okay place to go when you're bored. "Come on, flea." I say as I look at him with a glare. He always has to ruin my day.

"So, you're a cat, Izaya-kun?" Kasuka asks Izaya along the way to the movies.

"Yes, it suits me; I would think." He says arrogantly. "The tail is a bit much. When I try to sit down somewhere it's bothersome because I have to move it or else I'll sit on it." Is he actually having a semi-normal, semi-calm conversation with my brother? "Now that I think about it, I suppose it's quite similar to what you have to go through when you're shooting a movie; except Shizu-chan and I can't take off these costumes."

"I can see how that could become tiring." Kasuka says with a nod. "Your demeanor has changed."

"Hmm? I don't remember spending enough time with you to notice such a change." Izaya says as he tries to remember a non-existent memory.

"Well, I heard a lot about you from my brother."

"Ah, what has he said about me?" Izaya says with a smirk as his tail sways.

"I don't think I want to repeat anything he said." Kasuka says honestly as he coughs a little. I look at Izaya and he seems to be nodding sadly before forcing a laugh. "But it must be because of the circumstances you're currently in. Cats, even if they're indifferent sometimes, are affectionate creatures who like companionship and attention."

"You own a cat?" Izaya asks with a smile. Kasuka nods. I didn't know he had a cat. Kasuka suddenly stops and faces Izaya. He begins scratching the left side of Izaya's jawline, which makes Izaya close his eyes and purr loudly.

"Cats enjoy this kind of action because they're scent is secreted from this part of the area and so they enjoy to smell their own scent on a human's hand." Kasuka pet's Izaya and then examines his ears a little closely. I growl slightly at this. Kasuka is being too comfortable with him. "I think dogs like any kind of petting or attention. I see people scratching their bellies mostly."

"Don't even think about it." I say as I guard myself with my hands. Izaya laughs a little; it almost sounds sincere. His smile is kind of…beautiful…My tail starts wagging as I continue to look at Izaya.

We arrive at the movie theater just in time for one of the movie's showings. It's some action movie. I'm not really paying attention to it since I'm watching Izaya being a freaking troll across from me. He's mainly telling people how the movie is gonna end and sometimes accusing someone else of throwing popcorn at another person's head, which I didn't think I'd ever see him do since he's kind of more devious than mischievous, but it must be a cat thing.

"Izaya, knock it off!"

"I'm just having fun, Shizu-chan~" Izaya says slyly. "Don't you know what fun is?"

"You're meaning of 'fun' and my meaning of 'fun' aren't the same. Now stop annoying the fuck out of people!" I say loudly. Some people in front of us start shushing me. I get irritated and kind of embarrassed, so I sink in my seat and do as I'm told. After a couple of minutes, I see Izaya behaving. Kasuka, who's smack-dab in the middle between me and Izaya, isn't paying much attention to our bickering. He seems to really like the movie. Izaya looks a bit tired so he brushes his head (like a cat would, except a cat would brush his body against something) against my brother's shoulder; his ear twitching a bit before relaxing against his head. Kasuka notices this show of [affection?] and gently pets Izaya's head. Izaya probably takes this as an okay to warm up against him and clings to him as he takes a nap. I'm not mad because Izaya's being cuddly with my brother, I'm mad because _Izaya's_ being cuddly with _my brother_, which could only ever lead to something bad.

After the movie Kasuka and I (and Izaya) go to the park for a bit before planning to go to lunch. We sit there on a bench to watch the birds land on our feet while Izaya tries to catch some and I hold in the bark that's trying to escape my mouth.

"He sure is playful." Kasuka says dully. "I don't see what's so bad about him, Ni-san."

"You should see him when he's trying to stir shit."

"And when is it?"

"I don't know he's always up to something; in fact, I think he's scheming something right now!" I say as I growl at Izaya who's sitting patiently on the ground, cross-legged and letting his tail sway back and forth. Kasuka looks at Izaya and then looks at me.

"Ni-san, he's not doing anything."

"I know he doesn't _look_ like he's doing anything but he will." I say angrily.

"I think you're just paranoid. Perhaps, this whole being-turned-into-a-cat thing has given him a new perspective on life. Maybe he's turned over a new leaf."

"All of what you said included the words 'I think', 'perhaps' and 'maybe' which basically means everything that you said isn't one hundred percent." I say sternly. "That flea will never change. Everything is a game to him. Have you seen his living room?! It has a freaking chessboard on the coffee table with a whole bunch of different pieces! He's psycho, he'd make an OCD person suicidal with all that inconsistency!"

"Ooh~ 'inconsistency' that's a mighty big word for someone who has a protozoan brain, Shizu-chan!" Izaya says with a smirk.

"You have a bird on your head." I say dully. Izaya looks up and see the resting bird before trying to catch it (and probably kill it).

"It seems to me that he just wants your attention." Kasuka says and then shrugs as I look at him in disbelief. "You told me one time that he always seems to appear in front of you right? If he didn't want your attention then he wouldn't do that; he'd probably stay on the alert and avoid you as if you were the police or something."

"Then why does he runaway from me then, eh?"

"Because he probably enjoys the chases?" Kasuka says questioningly. "Have you ever stopped to think that maybe that your relationship with him is meaningful to him even if it's dangerous? You get hurt and he gets hurt in your battles right? You told me one time that you broke some of his ribs before." (1)

"It was the only time I landed a blow on him, the little flea."

"Why would he want to go through all that pain? He doesn't seem to fear you even after all that you two have done to each other. And you still chase after him no matter what, no matter if you're busy with something else." I look at the ground and then I notice that Izaya isn't anywhere near us. He's wandered off; despite this being a perfect opportunity to ditch him, I kind of feel like looking for him. "Hmm…he seems to have disappeared. He must have gotten bored. Or maybe he was chasing a butterfly?"

"I doubt it." I say as I start sniffing the air. His scent is still floating around. I follow the trail of his scent closely. Kasuka follows behind me; I barely notice him clipping a leash on my collar until I feel a tug. "What the heck?!"

"I feel in control this way." Kasuka says simply. I growl before I continue to track down the flea. I suddenly smell a lot of different scents mixing around such as the smell of bakery goods, garbage, smoke, and cats…? I suddenly spot a lot of cats all huddled around a van in a near alley. They all seem pretty distressed since they're all meowing a lot. Some are even clawing the tires of the van. I run off, leaving Kasuka behind since I unclipped the leash and tell him to stay put. A car almost hits me, but I'm too busy to notice who it was.

The flea's definitely in there, but why? I sneak over to the van and carefully listen to the inside noises. The cats on the outside keep meowing which annoys me to no end, but I try to block them out.

"I didn't know it would be this easy."

"Yeah…but what's up with these cat ears on his head?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. The boss said we just have to bring him back so we can mess him up good for what he did."

"And what exactly did he do…?"

"Do you always have to be so clueless? This fucker sold some important info to our rival gang, you half-wit. He's a snake. No one double-crosses us. Besides the whole freaking city hates this guy; we'll be doing Ikebukuro a big favor. Now, get the stuff so he'll get knocked out." I clench my fists and (I guess) by instinct start barking angrily before I start trying to pick the van up. The guys inside start yelling and whimpering before opening the doors (back and sides) and falling out. I keep the van above my head before setting it down carefully since Izaya's inside. I walk up to one of the guys and lift him up from his collar.

I growl at the guy menacingly before hearing a pained groan behind me. When I turn my head one of the other guy's hit me with a metal two-by-four. I fall backwards and hold onto my head as I start to feel the cold blood drip down from my forehead. I glare up at the guy before seeing a bunch of cats climbing on top of him and his buddies.

"Well, well, well it looks like Shizu-chan wanted to be the hero today~" Izaya says as he offers me his hand. I look at it for a minute before taking it. He gets me up and smiles at me as I look at the cat resting on his head. "It's nice isn't it? They love me~"

"Well at least someone does." I say as I pat my pants to rid them of dust. "What the hell happened?"

"Those guys jumped me while I was trying to catch a butterfly."

"I told you, Ni-san." Kasuka says as he appears out of nowhere.

"What the—where did you come from?!" I say as I take a step back.

"You know…there's a cat pun around here somewhere…" Izaya says as he thinks.

"What do you mean 'cat pun'? Are you freaking out of it?"

"Ah! This could have been a _cat_-astrophe if you hadn't come along Shizu-chan~" Izaya says with a laugh.

"Why did you say that!?"

"Because I knew it would piss you off~" I regret not letting those thugs beat the shit out of him, in fact, I should have joined them.

The rest of the day kind went along pretty well, but Izaya kept embracing his stupid cat "tendencies" as Shinra calls them. I on the other hand controlled myself pretty well; except when Kasuka wanted to test out my will power and threw a tennis ball across the park. Damn it felt so good to chase after that stupid yellow ball. Izaya kept laughing at me afterward and then continued to remind me about it every five minutes. After lunch at Russian Sushi, which was mainly just about me watching Izaya stuff his face with three orders of fatty tuna and Kasuka commenting about how Izaya had such a "great appetite" we (and by 'we' I mean Izaya) decided to head back to my house to watch some TV.

"What happens if we pass a fire hydrant Ni-san?" Kasuka suddenly asks as we keep walking. I twitch my eye a bit before forcing a smile.

"Nothing will happen. It's all good." I say as I then realize Izaya stopped a couple feet behind us. "Oi, flea! We're gonna leave you behind if you're gonna stand there like an idiot." Kasuka turns around and heads over to Izaya without saying a word and looks in the same direction as the flea is looking. He turns his head at the same time Izaya does, which freaks the fuck at me, and then Izaya's ears twitch happily.

"I'm gonna go climb it." Kasuka looks at him dully, but probably trying to express curiousness and then nods as Izaya runs off.

"For crying out loud flea, that's public art not a jungle gym." I say angrily as the flea climbs on the weird looking…thing…I'm not a genius on art so I don't know what the heck it is. It looks like a big rock with a bunch of different sized holes in it. Different parts of it are kind of carved out; some are left jagged and more natural looking, more rock-like I would say. It kind of looks random with so many patterns of designs and whatnot. Kind of reminds me of my hectic life.

I look up at the top of it and see Izaya sitting there as if he owns the damn thing. He looks down at me and smiles, patting the spot next to himself. "Come on up, Shizu-chan. The sun is setting." I've never been in a relationship before but I know what a date is made up of and people who watch sunsets together are usually couples or really good friends, Izaya and I are neither so I don't move.

**Izaya's POV**

I know it was pointless to ask him to join me up here to enjoy the view; despite knowing that he'd say no, it bothers me. I hug my knees and wrap my tail around myself as I look at the sun setting. This is how I've always been, up on my pedestal (in this case this rock) and watching at everyone from above. It's very lonely at the top, but it never bothered me before until I began to feel emotional for the first time in what feels like forever. I suddenly feel someone's presence beside me and I assume it's Kasuka since he's the only one who's been interacting with me so kindly today, but to my amazement, it's Shizu-chan.

"Not a word from you or I'll jump off and leave you alone." It was a persuading threat since right now I really don't feel like being alone. I see Kasuka taking pictures below of the two of us with his camera phone while Shizu-chan and I watch the sun set slowly, almost disappearing below the horizon. Shizu-chan notices Kasuka taking pictures after a few seconds and tells him to delete them. Kasuka presses "save".

"Why'd you save me back there, Shizu-chan?" I ask him as I continue gazing in the direction of where the sun was. "You hate me; you say so every day and yet you got mad and tried to beat the crap out of those guys that tried to hurt me? It makes no sense." I say casually as if this is some debate; me being the smart one and Shizu-chan (obviously) being the dumb one who gives faulty answers.

"I don't know." He says as he shrugs.

"You truly are a monster just acting on your emotions." I say with a laugh. "But I guess you being a monster saved me, so…thanks." Shizu-chan looks at me with surprise and I furrow my eye brows curiously. "What?"

"_You_ said 'thanks'."

"I shall alert the media." I say sarcastically as I roll my eyes. Shizu-chan elbows my side playfully, so I do the same. He then does it a second time, making me lose my balance and almost fall off.

"Sorry…" He says as he helps me back up. I laugh before sitting back next to him. He looks at me with a glare. "What?"

"_You_ said 'sorry' to _me_." He blinks before looking out towards where the sun used to be.

"Yeah…I guess I did." He says as he scratches the back of his neck. When we turn back to normal we'll probably return to how we were with each other before. Being as we are now allows us to behave abnormally and blame it on being this way. If we change back, I'm sure we'll have no more excuses so behaving weirdly would probably cause too much turbulence. "We better go. It's getting dark and it's cold."

"_I_ have my jacket." I say with a smirk. "And Kasuka has one too."

"So? I don't wear jackets; I especially wouldn't wear one that'd make me look like a damn Eskimo."

"Well, you look like a butler."

"I do not."

"Well actually, you look more like a waiter."

"I do not."

"Have you ever noticed penguins look like they're wearing a tuxedo?"

"I do not."

"Ha! You weren't listening~" I say before running off.

"Wha—you! Come back here!" Shizu-chan says as he follows me in his usual bad temper. Kasuka walks patiently behind us, almost disappearing out of sight until we reach Shizu-chan's apartment. Kasuka calmly walks over to us as we try catching our breaths.

"You sure have a lot of fun together. I almost don't want to intrude."

"What?! We're not having fun!" Shizu-chan says, his cheeks a bit red from the cold, but maybe he's blushing too?

"Just open the door, protozoan. It's freezing out here." I say as I hold onto my tail for warmth. Shizu-chan unlocks the door and opens it before turning on the lights in the living room. I make myself at home (though it's terribly uncomfortable considering its small and a bit messier than my own place). "I heard somewhere that the look of someone's room reflects themselves. What kind of image are you trying to reflect of yourself, Shizu-chan?"

"Shut up. It's not like you're spending the night, so don't complain."

"That's a terrific idea. I should spend the night here~" I say happily as I curl up on the sofa's headrest. Shizu-chan pushes me off forcefully, making me land on my side on the ground. I don't bother getting up, I just sit on the floor cross-legged while listening to the two brother's chat.

"Kasuka and I are gonna watch a movie and then he said he's gonna head out, so you're leaving too. You've overstayed your welcome hours ago, but Kasuka wouldn't let me tell you to get lost."

"Actually Ni-san, maybe Izaya-kun has a good idea. It's really late and it's freezing cold already. Maybe we should spend the night here. We haven't slept together since we were kids, it'll be nostalgic." I make a sort of covered laugh, which catches Shizu-chan's attention. I then start laughing without covering my mouth.

"I knew you two were close, but I didn't think you were _that_ close. Maybe that's why you have attachment issues, Shizu-ch—ah!" There's a sort of an electric shock that runs through my body, though it isn't because I got electrocuted, it's because this brute stepped on my tail! The pain is so intense (since he literally smashed it) that the tears start flowing from my eyes. Shizu-chan heads into the kitchen after looking at me with shock (probably because he's never seen me cry before) and growls.

"Izaya-kun are you gonna be alright?"

"I don't know…I think I need medical assistance. I think he broke some of the bones in my tail." I say bitterly as I look at where Shizu-chan left. "That brute…" I say icily as I hold onto my tail. Kasuka looks at me for a minute and then (just as Shizu-chan is reentering the living room) he kisses my forehead gently. My ears prick up and I look at him as if he were an alien before blushing slightly and coughing nervously. "Thank you…"

"My mom used to do that to us whenever we got hurt. It helped me and Ni-san to feel a bit happier." My ears twitch a little and then all of a sudden I start purring, I guess it does make one feel happy. "Ah Ni-san, you got some ice." I turn my head and notice the utter shock and [hurt?] in Shizu-chan's face; it's not dramatic, but it's there.

**Shizuo's POV**

Why do I suddenly feel angry? Kasuka does things without expressing much, but he's kind nevertheless and to kiss Izaya's forehead to comfort him like Mom did, I guess it's normal…right? So I shouldn't be angry.

"Go sit on the couch, flea." I say sternly. He glares at me before heading over to sit on the couch, still holding his tail all the while. Kasuka then looks at me with a stare that means "you should apologize." He heads upstairs before telling me that he has to go to the bathroom. More like, he wants to give me privacy to say I'm sorry. I head over and sit next to the flea, but he scoots away. I growl at him a bit before snatching his tail from him to place the ice on it.

"Ow!" He says as I wrap the ice pad around his tail and then secure it with a roll of wrapping. "Ow! You're hurting me, you brute! Don't you know what 'ow' means?!"

"If you don't sit still it's gonna hurt!" I say angrily. Why? He's the one who's hurt, why should_ I_ be mad?

Suddenly everything is silent, just the noise of the refrigerator humming is heard. Izaya makes pained expressions as I continue my work, but he doesn't say anything more. After I'm done, I sit there beside him, wondering if I should say something. It's his fault, though. Why should _I_ be the one who apologizes? He's the one who—

"I'm sorry." He whispers, though I'm not quite sure what he said.

"Huh?"

"You're deaf too? Man, you sure are a lost case, Shizu-chan." Izaya says with a laugh. "I said I'm sorry." He says more clearly. "I teased you and practically did this to myself."

"Why are you acting funny…?" I ask him suddenly, completely getting off the subject.

"What do you mean 'funny'?"

"You're not acting like your usual self. You'd never say 'sorry'. You'd never act so flustered like you did when my brother kissed your forehead. You'd never—"

"Alright, alright Shizu-chan I get it. I'm doing things I wouldn't do normally." Izaya says with a pause. "I'd say it's because I'm a cat."

"That's your excuse?"

"I don't have a better one." Izaya says with a smile. "Now then, how about we watch one of your second-rate movies."

"They're not second-rate." I say defensively. He only laughs a little before moving his ears. I look at him and lift mine up before whimpering a bit. "I'm sorry…it wasn't your fault…entirely. I mean, if I could restrain myself I wouldn't have done what I did."

"Yeah, I suppose. Most people hate each other silently. You not only vocalize your hatred for me, but you also show it through your actions." Izaya says with another laugh. My ears prick up and then twitch at the foreign sound. I've heard him laugh before, but this laugh seems more sincere and kind of sweet. As if by some magnetic force, I lean towards Izaya and brush the strands of hair away from his face before caressing his cheek lightly. He looks at me with surprise but then starts leaning towards me too. Why is my heart pounding like it is right now?

**Izaya's POV**

This isn't real, is it? He's leaning towards me as if he wants to…kiss me. At least I hope that's what he wants to do, otherwise I'm lost. He places his hand on mine and looks at the floor with a blush on his cheeks, having the same stern expression he always wears. It seems like he's not sure what he wants to do. I lean closer to him and press my forehead against his. He looks at me nervously and leans in a little closer again. I lean closer as well; it feels like something is pulling me closer, some sort of force. Unfortunately, it's not a strong enough force to dispel outside disturbances.

"Ni-san, do you mind if I pick the movie?" Kasuka asks as he enters the room again. Shizu-chan and I quickly break our attention from one another and in a flash we're far away from each other, hands escaping each other's warm grasp and bodies positioned in opposite directions. Kasuka is left to assume what had happened. And telling by the light in his eyes, I know what he's assuming. "So, are you guys okay now?"

"As okay as we'll ever be." Shizu-chan says as he gets up and heads to the shelf where his movies are. He tells Kasuka to pick any one he likes. I look at Shizu-chan carefully, waiting for him to turn his head and look at me. To me, this action would represent his interest in me. I heard it was some kind of common indication that someone likes you. I don't remember the source where I got it, probably from my little sisters. They're always babbling about romantic things.

I start to get discouraged as he continues to pay attention to his brother, but then he turns his head and looks at me, probably expecting that I wouldn't be looking at him. Our eyes meet for a split second and then he turns his head to talk to his brother, a blush evident on his cheeks. Kasuka asks if he has a fever; I smile at this.

I haven't been able to take a nap for hours, so throughout the movie I was just sleeping. I'm not too inclined to watch two movies in one day. It sounds preposterous. Especially for a cat like me.

**Shizuo's POV**

After finishing the movie I set up the futons in the living room since my brother fell asleep during the movie, and the flea fell asleep at the very beginning of it. I put Kasuka to bed and leave Izaya on the couch since he seems too comfortable there. I yawn before changing the channel to some anime. I sit against the couch and continue watching TV for a little while until I feel something hitting my cheek. I try moving it away with my hand, but it keeps coming back. I then see that it's Izaya's tail. I grab onto it gently and try to stop it from moving.

"It still feels pretty swollen." I whisper to myself as I look at it. Izaya seems to be happily dreaming, sleeping on his stomach calmly as if this were his home. His head resting on the pillow with his face directed towards the TV but the light coming from it doesn't seem to make him stir. I look at him in awe. I'll admit he's kind of cute, handsome even, but I'd never say it to his face. He'd get too damn cocky and annoying.

I suddenly kiss the spot on his tail which is injured and then set it down. I look at Izaya and notice he's suddenly smiling. I blush and hope that he's not smiling because he knows what I just did, but he then makes himself comfortable, putting his hand close to his face; he almost looks like he's gonna suck his thumb or something.

_What the hell am I thinking? There is no way I should think that Izaya's cute…And what the hell was up with me almost…almost kissing him a couple hours ago? Have I lost my mind?_

"Shizu-chan." I hear Izaya say in his sleep with a smile. I suddenly flinch, thinking that he's waking up and then I notice he's just dreaming. My tail starts to wag.

_He said my name? He's smiling? It doesn't sound like the type of dream where he's trying to kill me (or already has) but a dream where (hypothetically speaking) he's really enjoying my company. I'd hate to say it but it sounded as if he were cuddling with me in the dream since he started to nuzzle into the pillow as he sighed happily. _

He's purring…? He is. He's purring. His ears twitch a bit as he nuzzles into the pillow, rubbing his cheek against it affectionately.

"Damn it…" I say as I run my fingers through my hair. I can't believe I'm saying this but I think I might be falling in love with Izaya…

* * *

A/N: (1) Such a thing didn't happen in the anime (I'm not sure about the novel or manga), I just made it part of the story.

I seem to make Kasuka a bit like the matchmaker, or the know-it-all in my stories, hope that's okay. I like him that way xD Anyway, please review.


	8. Making a Mess of Things

Please enjoy :3 And review afterwards, it's quite appreciated, I've loved all the reviews you've all given to me. Much love~

* * *

**Izaya's POV**

I open my eyes as my body recognizes that it's morning, but to my extreme surprise I find myself sleeping in very, very close quarters with Shizu-chan. His sleeping face so close that our noses are almost touching. I react in a way anyone in my position would react. I smile and run my fingers through his hair. Well, if you're a guy and aren't a homosexual you probably wouldn't do as I'm doing, but eh. I get up and yawn before looking for Kasuka whom I can't find. But what I do find is a small note left on his sleeping mat saying that he had to leave for a photo shoot at 8:30 so he couldn't say goodbye.

"8:30?" I look at the clock hanging in the living room and notice it's already 10:12. Damn, I overslept. Shizu-chan can afford to since he doesn't have work for about a week. I, on the other hand, have a meeting to attend at noon. Well, I might as well pay Shizu-chan back for tolerating me yesterday. I give Shizu-chan a quick kiss on the cheek before taking off the covers. He'll never know and I'll never have to explain. I stand up, suddenly remembering my tail as it starts to throb and then head into the kitchen after wrapping my tail in a roll of wrapping.

I haven't had to cook for myself in a while, but I think I can manage breakfast.

**Shizuo's POV**

I smell something really good, almost like an omelet, but I don't have a maid or a wife so who the hell is cooking for me? I open my eyes and then start sniffing the air for other scents. I get up as I notice whose scent it is in the kitchen. He better not be trying to burn my alive in my own house or poison me. I stand and walk over to the kitchen to see Izaya wearing an apron and cooking an omelet on the stove.

"Good morning, Shizu-chan~"

"Morning…? I thought you already left." I was hoping he had anyway.

"Nah, I have a meeting at noon so I thought I'd repay you for tolerating me yesterday." He says with a genuine smile. He hands me a plate (more like shoves it to me) and serves me the omelet he was making just now. "It has bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes."

"You're acting like you're my wife." I say dully as I look at him skeptically. "And you probably put poison in this." I say as I point at it. "Or chocolate."

"Why the hell would I put chocolate in an omelet?" He says as he looks at me like I'm crazy. "Actually…I wonder what that would taste like. I'd probably use dark chocolate since it's bitterer."

"To answer your question before you started talking crap, you'd put chocolate in an omelet to _poison_ me." I emphasize on the word "poison".

"Nonsense, Shizu-chan; I haven't done anything to that omelet. I mean, if it had anything extract it'd probably just be pepper, but I don't usually say I add pepper since people can probably guess." Izaya says with a shrug. "Oh and salt, but that's a given too."

"Stop acting like that!" If he keeps acting like this, I won't be able to fall out of love with this damn flea.

"What do you mean 'acting'? I'm not acting, Shizu-chan." Izaya says with an annoyed expression. "Look, just eat your omelet." I growl under my breath as I place the plate on the table before sitting down and running my hand through my hair. "Here, if you're so worried about the omelet being poisoned then I'll taste it to persuade you." He says as he leans over me and cuts a piece of the omelet before putting it into his mouth. "There, hmm, needs some sort of sauce on it…ooh I know." Izaya takes something out of a bag on the counter and opens it with a can opener before putting it into a pot on the stove. "I forgot I bought this stuff. Oh, by the way, your kitchen didn't have much to work with so I went to the store to buy stuff."

"You didn't have to do that." He walks over to me and serves me some gray stuff that looks like cream of mushroom, but not the soup kind.

"Ne, but I wanted to." Izaya says as he looks at the time. "Well, I better go. My client is kind of aggressive and usually likes people to be on time. I'll see you later, Shizu-chan." He says before heading out. His scent still lingers around in my house even though he's gone. And even though I still think he put something bad in the food, I'm starving and I start stuffing my face. It's actually pretty good. I finish the omelet and serve myself some strawberry milk. I look at the carton in surprise and realize that I didn't have this before.

"He's a handful…" I say as I run my fingers through my hair.

_**At Shinra's Place**_

Yeah…I decided to head over here to Shinra's place again. I'm here mainly because I'm bored. Izaya's working, not like I want to hang out with him though…Tom's still gone. Kasuka is working on a new movie. So, I've decided to do something "constructive" as Shinra calls it.

"Alright, now we'll try 'beg'. So let's see. The book says that I have to…"

"Shinra, just give me the fucking treat."

"No, you have to earn it by performing the trick 'beg' I just have to read the instructions how I teach you it."

"Shinra, I can understand you just fine! Besides, like hell I'm gonna beg."

"Beg!" I suddenly lift my arms up and shake them a bit, begging like a dog would, which is completely embarrassing. Shinra laughs as he gives me the treat and pats my head. "Maybe Celty and I should have gotten a dog."

[What are you doing?] Celty asks on her PDA, showing it to Shinra, but I can see it too.

"I'm training Shizuo. I feel more in control this way." I get up in a flash angrily and hold him by his collar menacingly. "Sit!" I sit down immediately, but I'm still fuming. "It's quite enjoyable and it gives Shizuo's brain a lot of stimulation. I've been thinking that all this bottled energy inside him needs some sort of release and usually trainers teach their dogs tricks or train them to run agility courses. I think Shizuo would do great in a course."

[I think when you play with fire you're bound to get burned. Please be careful.]

"Are you worried about me Celty? I'm so happy!" Shinra says as he's about to embrace her, but she quickly jabs him in the gut before sitting on the couch. I laugh as he holds his stomach and crashes on the floor. "Ah…I'll take this as an act of love…" If _that_ was an act of love I really wonder what an act of hate would be. "Anyway, Izaya said he'd be here in few minutes. He wants to talk to me for some reason."

[Is there something wrong?]

"I don't know he didn't go into any specifics. He just said he wanted to talk. Shizuo! Don't dig our tree out!"

"I got bored. Did you just say that the flea's coming here?"

"Yes, now give me back my tree." Shinra says as he grabs the small tree and puts it to the side to put all the dirt back into the pot. "I think we're done for the day if you want to go home now, Shizuo."

"I'm bored at home." I state blandly. "Besides, there's food here."

"Now you're thinking with your stomach, Shizu-chan? You're all over the place~" Izaya says as he enters the room. He smiles at me before patting my head. I don't know why, but my tail started wagging once I heard his voice and now that he's petting me I feel a bit warmer. "Shinra, you didn't tell me you had a guest."

"I didn't want you to avoid coming here because Shizuo is here. So I just didn't say. Besides, I rather like my living room neat and tidy. No doubt that if I told you Shizuo was here, you'd find some way to make him blow a gasket." Shinra says as he puts away all the training stuff he had out for me. I look at Izaya with a glare. I don't want to deal with him, but I don't want to go home. "Anyway, what did you want to talk about, Izaya-kun?"

"I really don't feel like talking when that brute is around." He was really sweet this morning, making me breakfast and buying me food. "Shouldn't you be busy getting run over by a car or something, Shizu-chan?"

"Sounds like you're really eager to have my foot in your ass." I say angrily.

"So vulgar Shizu-chan~" Izaya says with a laugh. "You should try being more of a gentleman, if that's even possible for you."

"Maybe you should try to be less of a prick."

"I'm just trying to give you some useful advice, no need to be an ass about it, Shizu-chan."

"Guys please…" Shinra says as he waves his hands back and forth at us. "This isn't the time to…"

[They said that we can go pick him up, so can we?] Celty shoves the PDA at the three of us, even if Izaya and I don't know what the hell she's talking about. Shinra's the one who nods and then looks at us with a glare. Shinra sighs before scratching the back of his head.

"We need to go get Blackstorm from the vet. He had stayed overnight because of some observation, so now we're able to bring him home…but I really don't want to leave you guys here alone…in our house…without any supervision…just the two of you…"

"We get it, Shinra, we're not trustworthy when we're paired together." Izaya says with annoyed tone of voice. "In fact Shizu-chan isn't truthworthy period."

"Neither are you, Izaya-kun." Izaya glares at him. "You ate our fish!"

"Hmph, it wasn't even that interesting to look at, it was more tasty than interesting."

"You ate it raw?" I ask with disgust. "Didn't it taste strange?"

"It didn't seem to bother me at the time…but now that you mention it…" Izaya makes a sort of disgusted sounding meow.

"Guys!" Shinra yells so that he can get our attention. "Thank you…Look, if you guys can just hold down the fort for us? If the house isn't in wreckage when we get back, then I'll give you both a treat." Izaya's and my ears prick up as our tails move, mine wags while his sways. "Catnip for Izaya-kun and a nice steak for Shizuo."

"Okay we get it, Shinra." I say as I feel my mouth watering.

"We'll behave." Izaya adds with a sneaky smile. Shinra probably doesn't believe either of us, but he's gonna have to leave with Celty anyway. I just hope that the flea doesn't make me go ballistic. Shinra may get on my nerves, but Celty is a good friend who listens to me whenever I have problems. She lives here too, so I rather not demolish the place.

The two leave the apartment in a flash, Celty seemed really eager to get her precious cat back. Izaya makes himself comfortable after the two leave so I try not to pick a fight with him. It's more difficult than it sounds.

"What the hell do you have on your tail?" I ask as I just now notice the small red bow. Izaya looks at his tail and growls at the red bow.

"My stupid sister's came to my office to bug me and this was the result. I forgot I had it." Izaya says as he tosses it in the trash. "They think of my whole ordeal as a fun game. I have to admit though, it's better than having them set fire to my living room like last month."

"They're just as crazy as you and not to mention that _you_ think of this whole mess as a fun game too."

"Why thank you, I trained them well." Izaya says with a smirk. "And yes, I suppose you're right. It's much more fun this way since I can easily capture the hearts of my humans, more than I already had before."

"You're demented; no one loves you." I say harshly. "People like Celty and Shinra put up with you. All you're clients and anyone who's come in contact with you hates your guts."

"Ah, on the contrary, Shizu-chan loves me~" He says with a purr.

"I do not." I say angrily. "I'd be fucking crazy if I did." But I do…

"Well I guess you're 'fucking crazy' then." I guess I am.

"Shut the hell up! You don't know what the fuck you're talking about!"

"You looked at me yesterday with such loving eyes and not to mention the kiss you almost gave me." Izaya reminds me as he smiles. "What do you call that?"

"That was a mistake. There's no way in hell I'd ever kiss you. Sure, my mind might have been fogged up because of the moment, but you're still that sneaky psychopath everyone—including me—hates. I know you've been acting like you're not a bad guy all this time just to mess with my head. Sure, it worked for a little while, but I'm thinking **clearly now."**

**Izaya's POV**

It's been a while since the last time I've had my hopes up just to have them shut down. It's sort of a coincidence that it'd be Shizu-chan to make me feel like shit again. Years ago, when we first met in high school, he had piqued my interest. For a while I had just observed him take down the entire football team. It was an amazing performance from a guy who was not only strong, but almost monstrous…just like me. Shinra was the one who introduced us, but the introduction didn't go well after Shizu-chan had told me that I piss him off.

**Flashback**

_He's clearly not human, but he makes my chest tight. I suppose this is what people call love at first sight? It doesn't even bother me that he's a guy. He's handsome, unbelievably strong, and looks like he has quite a temper, which is always fun. Besides, he's like me, alone and isolated on his own little island. Shinra told me that almost everyone is afraid of him, except for Celty and him; though I'm pretty sure deep down they're just as afraid as everyone else. I smile as he finishes off the remaining guys of the football team then start to clap. He turns around and looks at me, first with a straight face and then as I finish scolding Shinra for telling me I'm not such a good guy he glares at me. _

"_You piss me off." He says then turns around. I hide my pain with a smirk. What did I do wrong? Apparently I made him angry, but how? Was it the facial expression I was wearing? Inside I feel hurt, but I don't want to show it so I turn whatever feelings I have for him into something I could manage. Rather than feel love for him, I decided to hate him. If he hates me then why not? Hatred is a much easier emotion to deal with since I won't be the one getting hurt. _

"_Oh yeah? That's too bad, we could've had lots of fun together." I say with a smirk. I then lunge at him and slash his chest as he turns around to try and block the attack. I smile and lift up my knife. "See? Isn't this a blast?" He holds onto the wound on his chest as he glares at me. _

Inside me I suppose, all long, I had felt something more than hatred for the brute. He hurt me, but all this time I couldn't hate him, which made me frustrated with myself, therefore shoving my hatred for myself onto him. As it turns out, I've been fooling myself all these years. As I came to learn about Shizu-chan, I came to long for him. So, all the times I had provoked him I just wanted to get his attention, to have him look at me, to have him near me. I suppose the only hate I really had for him was derived from the fact that he wouldn't love me. So, I had him hate me instead so he could feel _something_ for me.

Now, although I wanted a serious answer from him, I presented him with something to get angry over. I tease him, though I really didn't need to, or want to. I just didn't want to have him think I cared. I didn't want him to think of me differently if he knew I was really eager to know if he had feelings for me.

"You're definitely a monster, Shizu-chan. No wonder everybody doesn't want to get near you."

"Same thing goes for you." Shizu-chan says angrily. The fur on my ears pricks up and I clench my fists for a moment before getting one of my knives out and pointing it at the brute.

"That's it, I'm done trying to chase after you."

"What the fuck are you talking about? I'm the one always doing the chasing."

"First, you forget what happened before the hit and run, then you continue to think I'm acting, and now you're taking back everything, calling it a mistake?" It was split second, I slashed his chest again just like before, but this time he tried to grab a hold of me. I escape his grasp and try to slow him down by blocking his way with the lamp, the potted tree, and the small drawers next to the TV by putting them in front of his path, but he just toppled over them and followed me into the kitchen, where I jumped on top of the refrigerator before sliding on the counter then rushing into Shinra's bedroom. I tried to close the door and lock it, but the monster broke it down. He caught me while on the bed and grabbed a hold of my wrists. I growled at him, but he wasn't intimidated.

"How are you gonna slip out now, Iz-ay-a-kun?" He asks with a smirk. I glare at him before licking his cheek. He releases me and rubs his face before chasing me into the living room again. I toss a vase at him that breaks on his head upon impact. When that doesn't stop him I try to hide in Celty's room, but before I can reach the door he grabs a hold of my sleeve. I worm my way out of my jacket and toss it at him. He growls as he tosses it aside and attacks me. I try to get loose of his grip but he's got me pinned.

"Let go of me you wild animal! You heartless monster! You…" I stop as I feel faintish. He's taking up all my air being so close.

"You want me to tell you that I remember you confessing to me that much!?" He asks as he growls lowly. He gets up and lets me go. I lie there for a moment trying to realize what he just said. He sighs as he runs his fingers through his hair. "I was trying to forget about it, but you just kept asking about it." I get up and look at him in disbelief. He knew? All along he knew and he was acting as if he didn't remember? He avoided talking about it for this long… I smirk as I try to recompose myself.

"No…it's nothing important Shizu-chan. You know? I was wrong to think that confessing to a monster like you was going to make my life any better. It's more fun ruining your life. This is a lot of fun, isn't it?" I ask as I smile. "Let's just continue to despise each other, to get in each other's way and make a mess of things."

"I didn't say that! Shut up!" He picks up the couch and is about to throw it at me, but the door suddenly unlocks and Shinra and Celty (along with the cat) enter the room in shock. Blackstorm hisses at Shizu-chan and I after escaping Celty's hold and runs off into Celty's room to hide from our chaos. "Oh shit…"

"OUT!" Shinra says loudly as he talks a hold of Shizu-chan's collar and mine. He pushes out, while pulling on our collars which hurts a lot actually; it feels as if he's strangling us. "Out, out, out!" He says angrily as we now are put outside. I turn my head a little and bite his hand that was holding onto my collar so roughly. Shizu-chan barks a little before standing their silently.

"It wasn't my fault, Shinra. It was this brute's!"

"Ah, so I'm guessing Shizuo was also the one who just bit my hand?" He asks skeptically as he shows me the bite mark. I smile and shrug my shoulder.

"There's a possibility that that's an old wound. Maybe you were just imagining something biting you."

"The pain isn't imaginary."

"Well…" I try to think of something clever to say, but I'm not getting anything even remotely useful in my thoughts. Right now, I'm just thinking about how harsh Shizu-chan was talking to me before. And to think he lied to me also. Though, that's not so surprising since I've lied plenty to his face as well. But this is different. A confession isn't something to play around with. Feelings aren't meant to be tossed around like some rag doll. "Look, I'm sorry I had a hand in trashing your home Shinra, but I really need to talk to you and Celty about some pressing matters and I rather not have the brute here."

Shinra looks over to Celty who's cleaning some of the stuff on the floor. She nods simply, not able to grab her PDA at the moment and type a quick response. Shinra sighs before telling me that I can come in and Shizu-chan needs to head home. Shizu-chan is none-too pleased, but he does as he's told after he tells Shinra a quick "I'm sorry."

I help clean up some of the mess before sitting on the slightly broken couch. Shizu-chan had managed to damage the couch when he picked it up in his fit of rage, upon which he had held onto it much too tightly thereby smashing the sides. Shinra sighs again upon further inspection of his once neat home.

"Okay, so what do you need to talk about Izaya-kun…?" He says as he downheartedly sits on the one-seat couch. I nod and try to find the words to explain my current feelings, my symptoms. I hold onto my tail and open my mouth to begin, but then close it.

"I'm not so sure how to begin…"

"How about 'Once upon a time'?" Shinra says with a smile.

"I'd rather not be unoriginal." I say flatly. "Look, it's just that I've been feeling nervous, anxious, and my paws have been sweaty and my stomach aches. Surely, you can prescribe me something." Did I say 'paws'? I'm clearly losing it now.

"Hmm, sounds like you're in heat." Shinra says with a smile. I growl at him lowly in annoyance. "What? It's a valid, medical conclusion." Celty isn't amused either she types quickly on her PDA and only shows Shinra. "Well…I've never seen you type _that_ before..." He clears his throat before speaking again. "What I mean to say is that you're in love."

* * *

A/N: In love? Or is he really in heat? xD Well, anyway thanks for reading, please review it makes me ever so happy.


	9. Sort of Friends?

I'm really glad people are reading this story and enjoying it as much as I'm writing it; thanks to all of you. Please review some more, it makes me oh-so happy :3 Oh and the Poll I have on my Profile will close the day when I post Chapter 10 (so this Thursday) and I will pick whether to keep them as they are or change them back :) Thanks to all of you who have voted.

* * *

**Shizuo's POV**

What the fuck?! How can that little maggot be in love? He confessed to me, but…That's not possible.

"That's not possible." Izaya says as if he's reading my mind, which would make him all the creepier if he could. "Such a thing hasn't happened since I was in high school." Izaya admits plainly. "And I've only ever had a crush. I've never been 'in love'."

"I know, you told me about your 'crush' when it happened then too." Shinra says with a laugh. "Is this the same person or someone else?" He lied to me; he said he didn't remember who it was!

"It's the same person." Izaya says nervously. "You think I'd learn by now after that brute rejected me once." Izaya says with a forced laugh. 'Brute'? Did he say 'brute'? So his confession wasn't a joke? He _loves_ me? My heart starts to pound loudly against my chest and my tail starts to wag happily. I feel my cheeks getting warm. I remember him saying 'like' when he confessed to me, not 'love'.

"I think you should tell him."

"I did! But then we got hit by that damn truck and then he pretended not to remember. But right before you guys came back, he said he did."

"And…?"

"And nothing…if he wanted to avoid talking about it and wanted to forget it, then there's my rejection. I can hopefully put this to rest now."

"I don't know Izaya…remember what happened last time this happened? You got really depressed and wouldn't eat. Then you got really skinny, became ill, missed school and had to attend therapy."

"I told you, that was for something else. My parents thought I was a homicidal maniac or something."

"I'd probably think the same thing…" Shinra whispers. "But that's a lie. Your parent's loved you. They wouldn't have sent you there because they thought ill of you. They sent you there because you were depressed and they were worried."

"Well, lovely, they get the best parents award." Izaya says sarcastically. "Look, I'll admit that being shut down was a horrible experience especially when I never fell in love before, but it's not going to be like before. I'm much more mature and will handle this in a much more refined matter."

"And how are you going to 'handle' this? You're not going to go crazy like in those TV shows and kill Shizuo while saying 'if I can't have him no one can'!"

"No, I'm gonna do what anyone would do when they've had their hearts torn out of their chests. Eat a ton of comfort food while watching soap operas in the dark and cry myself to sleep." Izaya says with a laugh. "Then after I've gained a lot of weight, I'll join a gym and get a personal trainer who'll inspire me to get back on track. And while on a run through the park one day I'll meet a fellow jogger whom I'll befriend. Gradually they'll teach me how to love again. It'll be such a grand experience that they'll even make an inspirational movie out of it."

"You're taking this much better than I thought you would." Shinra says with a laugh.

"And you're taking my joke way too seriously." Izaya says with annoyance. "Look, just don't talk to Shizu-chan about what I said…"

"Your secret is safe with me." I clench my fists as I feel the anger build inside me. This time I'm not mad at Izaya. I'm not mad at Shinra, Izaya's annoying sister's, Simon, some random people on the street, I'm mad at the person who was so dense not to know that all along, Izaya was doing all the fucking crap he did because he wanted my attention. Sure, he may be a freaking psycho maniac a lot of the time but I don't think he knows how to be anyway else, not if someone else doesn't teach him how. Not if someone doesn't care a whole lot more about him, even have strong enough feelings to break down the walls that he's always putting up.

It was all because of what I said. I never meant for all this to happen. If only I had just kept my mouth shut. But, he really did piss me off; first because he looked like someone who liked to cause trouble, but also because…somehow…I hated the way he made me feel. After a couple of weeks of knowing him in class, having him eat with Shinra, Kadota and I during lunch, I began to like the simple things he did. Sometimes I noticed things, normal things he did which were kind of…cute. He'd fall asleep on the roof and look kind of peaceful. During class he'd look out of the window, his reddish-brown eyes looked really…beautiful whenever they'd catch sunlight. The things he said were always sort of obnoxious, but I sometimes liked hearing his voice…

Why? Why did I have feelings for this stupid louse during high school? Probably because he wasn't afraid…of me. He laughed at me, made me angry, let me chase after him (wanted to be chased after by me). He wasn't afraid of me. He was like me. I liked that about him, but what I didn't like was the awful things he used to do to me that made me hate him.

"Damn it…" I whisper to myself in the darkness.

**Izaya's POV**

It's raining again. I was hoping not to get all wet, but I managed to _not_ accomplish that. I'm practically drenched to the bone, shivering like a fool as I enter my home. I take my jacket off and set inside the bathroom before taking off all my other clothes, including my underwear. Yes, those are drenched as well and I am _not_ sleeping in soaked underwear. It's uncomfortable just wearing them, having to sleep in them would be unimaginably awkward.

I slip on some boxers and a robe since I'm too lazy to put on some casual clothes. I'm in my own home anyway. I yawn a bit before heading into the kitchen. After grabbing some coffee, the doorbell rings. I head over to the door, lazily dragging my feet (almost as if I'm crawling) and open it.

"I already told you, I'm not interested in buying a piano. Where would I even—" I open my eyes and see it isn't the strange person who keeps asking me to buy his used piano, but Shizu-chan. "Ah, it's you." I say bitterly. "I would have rather it been that strange piano man. What brings you to Shinjuku? And, an even better question, what brings you to my home?" Shizu-chan sighs as he enters upon me waving my hand at him, signaling that he's allowed to enter. "I don't have any tea right now, but if you want some coffee." He looks at me blandly. "With a lot of sugar and cream." I say as I notice why he's looking at me that way. Of course, he's not into bitter things. He probably hasn't come across a coffee sugary enough for his tastes.

"You piss me off…" He says suddenly. I turn around and my ears prick up from the familiar proclamation. I glare at him and then set my coffee cup down as I cross my arms.

"Then why did you come here?" I ask him skeptically.

"You didn't let me finish." Shizu-chan says with irritation. "You piss me off…but sometimes you're not that bad like that day when you went with Kasuka and me to the movies and everything…"

"And why the sudden change?" He looks at me for a split second until our eyes meet, then he looks away.

"Dogs and cats can sometimes get along, but usually when they're introduced at the right time…" Shizu-chan begins as he nervously scratches the back of his head. "We weren't introduced at the right time..."

"And so what you're saying is that you want to start over?" He nods simply and holds out his hand. I take it awkwardly and shake it.

"I'm not saying everything that's ever happened between us was my fault. It was mostly yours, but I just want to settle things since I was avoiding that whole…confession thing…" For a few minutes it's silent, then he speaks again, this time he changes the subject. "Was Shinra still pretty upset when I left?"

"I suppose, but he'll forget about it in a week." I tell me as I smile.

"You're not wearing a shirt…?" Shizu-chan asks with a raised eyebrow.

"No. Does that please you, Shizu-chan?"

"Shut up." I laugh a little as he smiles slightly. "So what…? We're friends now?"

"Well, that depends, are you going to keep tossing vending machines at me?" I ask with a smirk.

"Well, that depends, are you going to keep being a sneaky rat?" Shizu-chan asks simply. I laugh a little as I sit at my desk before turning the computer on.

"It's not good to ask me to destroy my entire identity, Shizu-chan." I say happily as I begin typing a reply to one of my clients. "Anyway, by how you're completely avoiding bringing up discussing what's most important, I'm not going to agree to anything."

"Fine, but why the hell do you want to talk about it so badly though?"

"Because I want to know your thoughts." I say as I clench my hands in frustration. "I already told you mine…" I say. I can feel my cheeks become hot; they're probably red.

**Shizuo's POV**

As I hear Izaya asking me about what I think about his confession I think about the day we first met…

It was a normal day like any other, that damn flea came to Ikebukuro and just had to show his face. He mocked me, said the usual banter that gets on my nerves and then ran off, knife in hand. Correction: it was supposed to be a normal day…but all of a sudden it wasn't.

**Flashback**

"_Get back here flea!" I say as I swing the stop sign I'm carrying at him. He dodges it and laughs as he turns the corner. I do the same and look around for him, but he's disappeared. I then feel something hit the back of head. As I turn around I find a knife pointing at me, daring me to move any closer. _

"_Tsk, tsk, tsk, it's not very mature to get angry over something so insignificant, Shizu-chan. All I said was that you have a brother complex. You shouldn't get mad over that; I was just telling the truth. And I thought Namie had it bad with her brother." Izaya says as he laughs. I grab his arm and make him release the knife in his hand. "Let go of me, you brute!" _

"_Not a chance." I say to him angrily, as I hold onto his wrist more tightly. He grabs another knife from his pocket and slashes my side. I step back and hold onto the wound as he runs off again. I run after him like usual, but this time catch him again by his collar. I smirk at him as I hold onto his other hand that has the second knife. "I'm tired of playing this fucking game." _

"_Ah…me too…" Izaya says weakly. "My chest is tight…"_

"_Good, you damn flea." All of sudden he gets red and turns his face so as not to look at me. _

"_I don't like you being so close, Shizu-chan." He says with a blush. "Let go." _

"_What the fuck are you talking about?" _

"_I said let go! You're making me feel awkward, you brute!" He says his face still red. I suddenly realize that he's nervous. I can feel his pulse beating in his wrist that I have my hand over. It could also be from all the running, though, so I shrug it off. _

"_What the hell is up with you, flea?" _

"_I like you, okay?!" He says out of the blue. _

_For a while now he's been acting so strange. A couple days before he had slipped up and fell into the fountain in the park when I was chasing him. I thought it was just because he was going blind or something. A couple months before this, he kept calling me, but his voice sounded really weird, as if he was struggling to not sound nervous. And then, just a few days ago he kept avoiding me. Today I chased after him so I could figure out why he was being weird. When I called him out on this he just said "I have no idea what you're talking about Shizu-chan" and then began to tease me like he always does. _

"_What?" I say as I keep holding onto his collar. Suddenly, I hear the faintest sound of a truck horn and then everything goes black. _

I had thought that things were beginning to seem awkward between the two of us before the incident, but I never asked him about since I knew he'd never take me seriously. He'd make jokes out of things that he probably thought were too personal and whenever I called him out on things that I thought were out of character for him, he'd get nervous and fumble with a new subject. So, when he suddenly confessed to me, I couldn't believe it. I had suspected something was going on, but I would have never guessed that he had feelings for me. How was I supposed to know if he always caused me trouble?

Izaya and I talked about it for a while, hours ago before I came home. It's all too confusing. I didn't want to say I liked him back because I'm not entirely sure about it. A confession is sort of a commitment and I'm not sure if I want to make a big commitment like that. Besides, this is Izaya…no doubt he's probably trying to mess with me again. That's what I keep telling myself at least…so I don't give in.

"Why…?" I ask myself as I look at the bland ceiling.

**Flashback**

"_Fine, but why the hell do you want to talk about it so badly though?" I ask him in frustration._

"_Because I want to know your thoughts." He says simply. "I already told you mine…"_

"_I don't know." I say honestly. "You've always pissed me off, always caused me so much trouble. And we've always hated each other since the day we met. How the hell am I supposed to suddenly like you back the way you like me?" _

"_I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking for an answer." Izaya says as he sighs._

"_Then…sorry…I don't like you the way you probably want me to." I say without looking at him. I'm hoping he can't tell that I'm lying. He only nods. _

"_Then, we can just be friends, if we can manage that." Izaya says with a laugh, though I can see he's hurt. He struggles to keep his mischievous façade. He tells me that it's time for me to go, that he doesn't have time to "throw a party for this momentous occasion." Then he mutters that he wants to be alone. I nod as I head off, feeling guilty all of a sudden. _

I could have told him…but what's the use? I've never really been in a relationship before and he hasn't either. What kind of relationship could we even have with one another? We've been enemies for years; we can't suddenly become a couple so easily. Not to mention I don't think I want to admit that I could be gay. I mean, I kind of suspected Izaya was since he's always so weird. The way he dresses is kind of strange. He skips for crying out loud. I know those aren't valid reasons to think he's gay, but I've just always thought he was anyway. Back in high school I could feel him looking at me since he always sat a couple desks behind me.

"Sick freak." I say as I rub my temples. "Damn cat." I say as I feel my cheeks become hot. "He's not cute…" I put the pillow over my face and sigh into it.

**Izaya's POV**

I haven't felt so down since the first time I got rejected. I don't want to listen to break up songs since I don't want to feel even more depressed, so I just continue to lie in my bed even though it's already the afternoon. I stare at the wall for a little while, thinking about Shizu-chan's answer. It was simple enough, it wasn't as harsh as I thought it would be and we settled on being friends. I'm not going to give up despite thinking of doing so a while back. Friends sometimes turn into something more right? After a while, something more can blossom between friends, right? It's not all the time this happens, but perhaps with luck we'll become something more.

I suddenly hear the sound of the doorbell. I get out of bed sluggishly and then answer it.

"Morning." Namie says as she enters.

"What? You didn't bring me breakfast~?"

"No." Namie says dully. "Why are you still in your pajamas?"

"These aren't pajamas, Namie, they're casual clothing. You know? Clothes for around the house." I explain happily.

"Are you wearing bunny slippers?"

"I'm not paying you to judge my outfit, Namie. Go organize my files and reply to some of my e-mails." I say with a wave of my hand. "Oh, and I didn't appreciate the note you left me last time you were here. A lady, even one such like yourself, shouldn't write something like that."

"Shut up." Namie says with a grimace. "Oh, I bought something you might like, though."

"Oh?" I say, trying to play along.

"Yeah." Namie says simply before taking out a metallic-looking object. She smirks before pressing some button on it. Immediately my eyes find the red, magical light illuminating on the floor. My eyes widen as I lunge forward and try to capture it. Namie laughs as she waves the light in different spots around the room, each time I follow it and end up empty handed. In the back of my mind I know this trickery, but my instincts tell me to chase, catch, and kill. All of which are basically impossible since the light doesn't exist in a solid form. "I knew you'd like it."

"Shut—up—and stop waving that thing around!" I say as I continue to chase after the light. As I chase the light I notice on some instances I crouch down low to the ground and try to pounce on it. With my size, however I fumble and roll. I then get up for another round. "I'm not enjoying this game Namie! I order you to stop!"

"Not a chance. This may not be fun for you, but I'm enjoying this." Namie says with another annoying laugh. Suddenly I hear a knock at the door, Namie (since I'm apparently busy) tells the person to enter, probably to embarrass me. As the door opens my ears prick up and I look over to see who it is. Ah…Shizu-chan…perfect timing…of course this is sarcasm.

"Flea, I came by to…" He looks at me curiously, probably wondering why I'm on the ground. I then hear a whistle from Namie who I look at for a split second. She points over to Shizu-chan who's looking at the red light which is right on his…Oh god this isn't gonna be good.

**Shizuo's POV**

It was a fast reaction. As soon as Izaya noticed the red light, he attacked. It hurt like hell, then again, why wouldn't it? He fucking hit me in the groin with all his force! Damn flea. I punched him in the head after I regained my composure and sure enough he's down for the count, holding his head in pain. Namie laughs as if it's the funniest thing in the world. She's on my list.

"You could have given me a damn concussion, you damn gorilla!" Izaya says angrily as he holds an ice pack on his head where I had hit him.

"Oh, 'gorilla' that's new." I say as I glare at him. He glares right back at me before tossing an ice pack on my crotch which makes me cringe. "Fucking flea."

"I didn't do it on purpose. It was Namie's doing. Besides, why did you come here anyway?"

"I thought we could have lunch together." I say nervously. "You know, to make the whole thing official. I mean, we should at least try it out, right? See what it's gonna be like."

"You two going out now?" Namie teases with a smirk. Izaya immediately throws a glare at her, while I _want_ to throw something heavy.

"No way!" I say a bit too loudly. Izaya looks at me; his eyes show a look of hurt.

"We're trying to engage in normal friendly customs." Izaya says to her as he turns away from me. "You wouldn't know since you don't have friends, Namie."

"Neither do you. Shizuo isn't going to tolerate you. I don't even tolerate you." I can tell that even though he looks like he's taking all these harsh words well, he's struggling to not believe them. I can see his hands clench a bit as he tries to throw a decent comeback at her.

"I've had enough of your sass. You can go home. After the red light incident I rather not see you at all for a couple of days—though it's not like I ever wanted to see you in the first place." Izaya says as he practically pushes her outside then shutting the door loudly.

"Why do you have clips in your hair today? Did your sister's come by?" I ask him as I point at his hair.

"Ah, no I put them on myself. My hair is getting too long and gets in my eyes. These just so happen to be my sister's, so I just decided to use them since those rug rats won't come by and get them back." Izaya says as he puts his hand on his hip as he looks at the door. "Besides, I look adorable this way, even more so than before~"

"Whatever you need to tell yourself to get you through the night." I say with a dull expression. "Let's go, I haven't had anything good to eat since this morning. And if we don't leave soon, I'll have to raid your fridge."

"Barbarian." Izaya says as he grabs a different jacket than the one he normally wears and then wraps a scarf around his neck. It's pretty cold now since it's pretty close to Christmas. First it was pouring rain and now it's freaking cold in the mornings that is until it gets a bit warmer in the afternoon. He also puts on mittens and a hat before opening the door and motioning for me to follow him.

"Do you really need all that?"

"Do you really need to ask stupid questions? I hate the cold, protozoan. I rather not get sick." He states simply. "You should be more careful. That bartender get up isn't going to be so useful in this cold." I shrug, if he wants to wear a bundle of winter clothes, then who am I to stop him? Besides…he looks kind of cute like that. I push him slightly and he glares at me before trying to push me with one hand, but after noticing that it didn't do anything, he pushes me with both his hands. It worked better than the first time, but still didn't send me as far as I sent him.

* * *

A/N: Their friendship isn't gonna be magically perfect xD But that's what makes these two so fun to write about. Please review~!


	10. The Onlookers

Multiple POV's in this chapter, hope people don't mind all the jumping around, but this chapter _is_ called the onlookers so it makes sense to me to have their accounts or POV's in this xD I've been really busy with my Photography class and Philosophy class and my Psychology class this week (wow all my classes start with a "P" xD) And I'll probably be really busy these coming weeks too what with upcoming finals and registering for next semesters classes soon. I do hope to keep my current updating schedule though :3 And I'm also hoping to God that I can update _A Child's Attachment_pretty soon since I've been working on it. I'm so sorry Mika that I didn't update yesterday! But hopefully this weekend I will...

But I digress...

**Announcement**: Poll will still be opened xD But I've already decided what I'm going to do based on the votes I have been given :3 But if more votes come in during this day onward and there is higher demand for something else then I might change my mind (like always). But I'm not closing the poll because I don't want the results to show up or else everyone will know what's gonna happen x3

* * *

**Celty's POV**

[I'm telling you Shinra, they were walking together on the street, as if they were friends!] I write to Shinra as I try not to go into hysterics. [What could have happened to them? Do you think they're aliens?!]

"No, that's not possible. Are you sure it was them?"

[Izaya was wearing something different today than his usual furry jacket, but I swear it was him. And that was definitely Shizuo, no mistaking him.]

"Maybe they're just finally getting along? Maybe it's actually working."

[I don't know…at first I thought it was a great idea, but now it just looks strange…]

"Perhaps, but who are we to interfere in true love?" Shinra says with a smile.

[Shinra, you're scaring me. I couldn't see them as friends, much less lovers.]

"Ah, but love works in powerful ways. Besides, maybe this city will be peaceful for once?" Shinra says as he sits on the couch. "Let's relax and see how this goes." I nod as I sit next to him. Although I don't mind Shizuo and Izaya being friends—it'd do this city a lot of good—I can't picture them as lovers. Sure, Izaya has told Shinra and I that he has feelings for Shizuo, but I just don't see him being suitable as Shizuo's lover. I don't want to see Shizuo getting hurt. Whereas with Izaya…he's already been hurt. If things don't work out between them, things could be really bad, even worse than they were before.

We're going to be in for a bumpy ride…that's for sure.

**Kadota's POV**

At first I didn't think it was them, but as I looked a little more closely, there was no denying that it was Shizuo and Izaya. Sure, I've seen them around Ikebukuro together, hundred percent of the time it was because they were fighting, but today they're eating lunch together here in Russian Sushi. What kind of joke is this?

"Oh my god, I told you, didn't I tell you!" Erika starts saying with a big grin on her face. "They're on date!" She says as she points at them. Walker tries calming her down while I assess the situation. I can't hear what they're saying exactly, but Mikado, Anri, and Kida are closer to their table than we are so I head over and ask them if I can sit with them. They say yes, before asking what the hell is going on.

"I think it's a conspiracy." Walker says as he points to the sky. "Maybe they're aliens. Maybe the real Shizuo and Izaya are in a UFO somewhere being probed! With Shizuo's strength and Izaya's brains our world is probably gonna be invaded by aliens at any moment!" We all try to quiet Walker down while we try to listen in to Izaya and Shizuo's conversation.

"Why the hell do you always order that?" Shizuo asks Izaya as he points to his meal. Izaya smiles and pops a fatty tuna piece into his mouth before answering.

"It's good. Never tried it? Here." Izaya says as he holds the chopsticks with a piece of fatty tuna close Shizuo's mouth. Shizuo looks at Izaya for a couple seconds before eating the piece whole.

"It's gross." Shizuo says with disgust. "Gah! What the heck was in that!?" Shizuo says as he starts drinking a lot of water. Everyone sitting behind them, including Anri starts giggling.

"I put wasabi in it~" Izaya says with a laugh. "You don't like it?" Shizuo gets up all of a sudden and picks Izaya up by the collar, staring down at him like a wild animal, but then throws him back on his chair and sits back down. After a while things get pretty predictable, Izaya says a few jokes and laughs, Shizuo then pushes Izaya's face into a platter of dessert, Shizuo laughs, Izaya gets all pouty and steals Shizuo's food, etc, etc. It's almost as if they're on an actual date, as Erika said earlier, but I can't believe that. There's no way.

**Erika's POV**

It's just as I imagined it! They're on a date, there's no denying it. Oh this could totally be the moment I've been waiting for! He fed him! And I could see Shizuo was enjoying it since his tail totally wagged! I definitely need to bring my camera with me next time!

**Walker's POV**

They're totally aliens! I knew this day would come! There's no other explanation for why these two would be in a restaurant together!

_Hours Later~_

**Celty's POV**

They're walking down the street again. I just finished a delivery Izaya wanted me to make, but I had to come over to see what's going on between the two of them. It's great that they're getting along, really it is, but I want to see for myself if this is really going to work. I mean, they've hated each other for years. It's difficult to change that sort of relationship.

"Oh~ Celty, it's just you. I was wondering who was spying on us." Damn it, they saw me. "What brings you to this side of Ikebukuro, Celty? I thought I told you to deliver that stuff to Mr. Takano."

[I did. Just came to check up on you guys to make sure you're not causing any collateral damage like usual.]

"We're just hanging out, enjoying the day." Izaya explains as he sits next to Shizuo on the bench beside the fountain. "Shizu-chan and I went to the arcade a while ago. He sucks at video games."

"You were cheating, you damn louse!"

"And I won this cute little phone strap!" Izaya says happily. Shizuo takes the entire phone from him and tosses it far enough that Izaya wouldn't be able to get easily. Izaya just looks at him, waiting for Shizuo's instincts to kick in, which in only three seconds flat, they do. He runs off, going off to fetch the phone unwillingly. "Ah, it's such fun. Sit Celty." He urges me happily. His ears prick up as I sit down; he nuzzles me a bit before purring.

[Do you like doing this?]

"Ne, I get used to it. I feel a bit happy when I get to do this to people."

[Who else did you do this too?]

"Kasuka. I guess now you don't feel special, ne~?" I hit him on the head, which makes him flinch. He holds onto the bump on his head and hisses as the fur on his ears and tail prick up. "Shizu-chan hit me there this morning!" He explains as he massages his bump.

[Sorry. Listen I need to talk to you about you and Shizuo.]

"First of all this isn't 'talking'. You're typing and I'm reading while presenting my answers in verbal speech. Second of all, there's nothing to talk about. We're just trying to settle things between us and be friends. Though just the mere sound of that sounds completely strange." Izaya admits as he looks for Shizuo.

[Do you really have feelings for him?]

"It doesn't matter now if I do or don't."

[Just answer the question.]

"Fine, yes. Ever since high school I've liked him. Even before that." He blushes fiercely, which is kind of cute.

[What do you mean 'even before that'?]

"Shinra used to talk about Shizuo a lot to me. After he moved and attended Raira, we kept in touch. Shinra is to blame for all my pain." He says dramatically. If I could glare at him I would, but he probably wouldn't notice. "I thought a lot about Shizuo after the first time Shinra talked about him over online chat. After the first couple of times he talked about him, I then started to ask about him myself. I asked questions about what he was like, what he looked like, what he enjoyed—stuff like that. What caught my attention was that he was an outcast like me, only capable of having Shinra as a friend. Before I transferred to Raira, I didn't have any friends since Shinra left. No one picked on me, but they didn't try to make friends with me either."

[So after you transferred…?] He nods simply.

"After I transferred Shinra really wanted Shizu-chan and I to meet, but when we did he seemed to harbor some unnecessary hatred towards me. I was really quite bothered by it so I decided to hate him as well instead of like him and continue to feel rejected. I really didn't want to be in a one-sided love. The end."

[But you still like him?]

"Of course I do. He's not someone I can just forget, especially with his appearance and reputation. Shizu-chan has this sort of presence about him; he's a lonely monster as you might already know. And, so am I." It's the first time I've ever heard Izaya admit to anyone that he's monster. "It's kind of ridiculous to think that Shizu-chan will ever like me back, but I'm at least hoping this friendship won't turn sour."

[And what if he does like you back?] I ask trying not to reveal anything secret (that I'm supposed to keep a secret).

"I don't know what crazy world you live in Celty, but I don't think that when you love someone you throw vending machines at them." He says with annoyance.

[Let's just hypothetically say that he does like you back. Would you love him and cherish him until the day you die?]

"First of all, I can't die." He says haughtily. I really want to roll my eyes, if I had them. "Secondly, that sounds as if we were getting married, which isn't even legal." He pauses as he suddenly puts his head on my lap and sighs. "But yes, I suppose I would. I like Shizu-chan a lot even if he's a complete idiot and is an uncontrollable, unpredictable monster." He starts purring as I pet his head. "Don't go telling him all this though, I have ways of revenge that you would rather not know about and definitely not want to experience for yourself." I nod as my body shivers. "Ah, Shizu-chan you're back!" I see Shizuo approaching us casually, with Izaya's phone in his mouth. Izaya puts his hand out and Shizuo drops the phone on the floor instead. "Rude; you're the one who threw it in the first place. I don't know why you're mad at me." Shizuo just crosses his arms and whispers curse words. Izaya smiles at him as he gets up and pats his head.

"Are you done? I want to head back." Shizuo says angrily.

"Alright, alright. Sorry Celty, Mr. Grumpy wants to head back, so we'll see you later." Izaya says as he takes Shizuo's hand. Shizuo practically pries his hand out of Izaya's grasp and pushes him into the busy street. Fortunately he just skips back onto the sidewalk.

Those two sure are strange, especially when they're together. Ah…it's starting to get really cold and cloudy. I better get back and tell Shinra the good news.

**Kasuka's POV**

Without even telling me, I knew what was going on between Ni-san and Izaya-kun. Despite Ni-san always complaining about Izaya-kun every time he came back home from school, I knew that his day wouldn't have been going well without their routinely fights. So, when both of them were walking down the street as I passed by in my car, I knew that things were going to be alright. Without one another, their lives would be missing something. My brother has a tendency to become angry with a lot of different people, but Izaya-kun is the only one whom he shares a close bond with. All his passionate rage is direction at Izaya-kun—one constant person. So, I always believed he was someone special. He devoted enough time to complaining, hating, and talking about him for me to assume so.

Once when we were still in high school, my brother came home and was really angry, like usual, but at that time he wasn't angry because Izaya-kun had pushed his buttons. Oddly enough, he was pacing back and forth because his worst enemy was out sick that day.

**Flashback**

_"Stupid flea." He muttered angrily as he paced around in the living room. I continue reading my book, trying to stay out of his way. "He's probably not even sick. He's probably just trying plan something. Shit, shit, shit. Fucking flea." I sigh before getting up and looking into our refrigerator for milk. Luckily, there's a three bottles. I take one out and set it on the coffee table for my brother. He sighs as he looks at me for a moment before sitting down on the couch and opening the milk bottle. "Thanks…"_

_"Shinra-kun said Izaya-kun was sick with the flu." I say simply. "Could you be worried?" My brother does a spit take and then looks at me hastily, completely in shock. Unfortunately, he did manage to spray the coffee table and the carpet._

_"Why the fuck would I be worried about that parasite?!"_

_"Ni-san likes Izaya-kun, right?"_

_"Wh-what the hell are you asking me?!" I'm sure if I was anyone else, I'd be dead by now, but my brother has a soft spot for me, which I am thankful for. "I do not like the flea!"_

_"Then why did you keep saying his name in your sleep?"_

_"Wh-what?! I was having a nightmare!"_

_"It didn't sound like a nightmare."_

_"Sh-shut up!" He suddenly outburst as he storms off to his room._

_Before heading off to bed, hours later, I noticed that my brother was dialing someone. I decided to be a bit sneaky and pick up the phone in the living room to see who he was talking to. And, as I thought, it was Izaya-kun on the other line._

_"Is this some sort of a joke, Shizu-chan?"_

_"No, it's not. I just called to see if you were going to show your stupid face tomorrow."_

_"So in other words you're hoping to see me tomorrow because you missed me today?" Izaya says with a laugh._

_"Fuck no! Shut the fuck up!"_

_"Well, I'm sorry to inform you that I won't be at school for a couple of days. Maybe I'll return this Friday."_

_"I hope you don't come back. You can stay sick for all I care." My brother says angrily. Though, I know there's underlying worry in his voice. He'll never say it, but he's worried about Izaya. When he's not around, my brother's day isn't as it should be. All the anger that he harbors for everything that makes him mad is directed towards Izaya, a constant. So, when he's not around he's more irritated than usual and has a tendency to direct that anger towards different targets, which makes him even madder._

_"Ne, you're a terrible liar Shizu-chan~ Well, I can't talk right now. I have to go. My sister's are trying to force feed me my medicine—Gah! Hey! What the hell are you guys—" Trust me, it didn't sound pleasant. It sounded as if he was being strangled or beat up with a mallet. The line went dead after a couple minutes of struggling sounds._

_After hanging up the phone carefully I headed near my brother's door and peeked inside to find him on his bed with his hand over his face._

_"Damn flea…getting himself sick like that…" He says angrily. "Take better care of yourself." He whispers softly into the darkness. I smile as I leave him be._

It was then that I knew how my brother felt towards Izaya-kun. Although he seemed to always want to fight with him constantly and continued to complain about his very existence, my brother craved the attention, craved the consistency which Izaya-kun brought him. That guy wasn't afraid of my brother; he still isn't. Most people around my brother can handle him pretty well, tolerating his rages a bit better than random people off the streets. But Izaya is on an entirely different level than all of my brother's friends. Where his friends avoid getting my brother angry, fearing for their very lives, Izaya-kun longs for him to get angry. He isn't one to be scared off, surprised maybe, but not scared. I think that's why my brother fell in love.

**Mairu's POV**

My sister and I have a favorite pastime, which is to annoy and torture our big brother Izaya-ni. He's a big jerk sometimes so he deserves what he gets. So, when we saw Izaya-ni with Shizuo-kun walking together across from where my sister and I were walking, we just saw this as a perfect opportunity to pay him back for kicking us out of his place a couple weeks before. Sure, my sister and I might have caught fire to his carpet, but it wasn't as if the whole place went up in flames. Besides, it's always fun to make Izaya-ni annoyed and embarrassed. And boy do we have some dirt on him that Shizuo-kun is gonna really love.

"Izaya-ni!" I say happily as I wave to him. He turns his head and sees me and my sister, but quickly grabs Shizuo-kun's hand and drags him away. I'm pretty sure he knows what power we have over him. This is gonna be so much fun. "Izaya-ni, wait up!" I say as I take my sister's hand and pull her with me.

Shizuo-kun gets mad because Izaya-ni is dragging him along, so he stops all of sudden, giving us the chance to catch up with them.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Shizuo-kun asks as he massages his wrist. "First of all, I don't like being pulled, secondly your nails were digging into my skin."

"Really, Shizu-chan? The little demons are chasing after us and you're worried about your wrists?"

"Izaya-ni, were you trying to escape us?"

"Scared."

"No, and I am not scared, Kururi. You two are just bothersome. Why don't you two just play in traffic?"

"Mean."

"Yeah, Ni-chan you're mean. We just wanted to come and see what you and you're boyfriend were doing~"

"Heh, they call you "Ni-chan"?" Shizuo says with a laugh and then flinches as he notices what he missed the first time. "Did you say 'boyfriend'?"

"He's not my boyfriend." Izaya-ni says firmly. "Now look, I don't have time for you pests. I have more important matters to attend to like watching paint dry than hang out with you two."

"Butt." Kururi says with a sneer.

"Yeah Ni-chan you're a butt and a liar." I say in singsong fashion. "Ni-chan loves Shizuo-kun~"

"I do not!"

"So then why did you confess to me?" Shizuo-kun whispers to Izaya-ni, though we could hear.

"Shut up, protozoan. Don't encourage them."

"Ni-chan was all pervy for Shizuo-kun. He'd get home sometimes and think about you when he mastur—Nghbrfftttdd." Izaya-ni quickly covers my mouth and laughs nervously.

"You guys have a horrible sense of humor!" Izaya-ni says as he pats my head pretty hard. "If you have nothing better to do than annoy people, then get lost."

"Pervert."

"Shut up both of you and go home!" Izaya-ni says as he gets all red. The fur on his tail and ears prick up a bit as he gets angry. He takes Shizuo-kun's hand and pulls him away. Kururi and I just watch as the two lovebirds head off. This is what makes waking up in the morning worth it~

* * *

A/N: It seems we caught up to the most recent chapter I've written on word. Oh my...Anyway, which POV did you guys like the most? In my opinion I loved writing Mairu's xD That was a load of fun! Anyway please review :3 It gives me some real joy when I come back from classes.


	11. The Hidden Letter

This chapter is dedicated to Mika~ Thank you all for your continued support and reviews! It means a lot to me to know this story has readers and wonderful reviewers, favoriters, alerters (I'm pretty sure those last too aren't real words xD)! Thank you all, I read each review and try to comment to them because you all deserve it. Those who are anonymous reviewers I wish I could comment back to all your reviews personally too, but this is the best I can do...SO THANK YOU TOO ANONS :)

Warning: cuddling and fluffiness ahead. Possible OOC.

* * *

**Izaya's POV**

It's like they were born to ruin my life. I don't want to think about them, though. Sure, what they said was true. I've liked Shizu-chan for a long time. And having urges is perfectly normal when you're a young teen. I shouldn't be ashamed, but I am. To think that they told Shizu-chan that I did that when I was younger! I'm hoping Shizu-chan forgot. With his protozoan brain I don't think it would be that difficult, besides he said he wanted to forget my confession so I can assume that he likes to forget disturbing memories…

I look at the sky and sigh as I watch the clouds pass by calmly. It's really gray outside now.

I can tell that it's going to rain again. I really hope that there isn't going to be thunder again like last time. It's been raining the past few days, sometimes it's just cloudy. Its winter so I'm not so surprised, but it doesn't mean I love to listen to the sound of thunder. In a couple weeks it's going to snow, at least that's what the weather man said. I rather have it snow and freeze, than have it rain and hear thunder.

"So, you're not going home, I presume?" I ask Shizu-chan as he continues to follow me back to my place. He only mumbles a quick no. "Well, I'm going to be working on my computer for an hour or so; you'll have to entertain yourself in the meantime."

"That's fine. I'll just watch TV." Having the brute in my apartment is a bit uncomfortable considering that I have personal stuff in my living room, not to mention a lot of very expensive, breakable possessions. "By the way, I…uh…had fun…today…"

"You did?"

"Yeah, I mean, you're still pretty annoying, but it was kind of fun spending time with someone—other than Shinra or Celty."

"Shinra." We say in unison and shiver.

"Thanks, Shizu-chan. I had fun too." He blushes slightly before elbowing me playfully.

When we finally get to my place, Shizu-chan heads over to the couch and sits there calmly, like a dog coming home from a long walk with his master. I, on the other hand, head straight for my desk. I grab the remote on my desk and tell Shizu-chan to catch, which he does, but with his mouth.

"Damn it." He curses as he takes the remote from his mouth and grumbles. He turns on the TV and tries to relax. I open my desk drawers and put on my reading glasses before continuing where I had left off in my work yesterday. Now and then I'll scan some paperwork, reading only the finer details of it, and then start typing out some stuff on my computer. This back and forth routine catches the eye of my monstrous guest in less than an hour. Before I know it, I'm being watched from behind by Shizu-chan. I hadn't noticed him standing behind me so as soon as I catch the faintest evidence of his presence I jolt a bit from surprise. "Sorry…" He says as he backs away.

"Don't sneak up on me like that, protozoan. I know you've always been so eager to kill me, but I rather not die in this chair." I say as I glare at him.

"How long have you worn those?"

"What my reading glasses?" He nods simply. "I don't know, two, three years." I say as I begin typing again, keeping my attention on the screen, but still managing to hold up the conversation with my lonely guest. Shizu-chan mutters a simply "ah" before wandering about the living room; glancing at my game board for just a split second before noticing something that catches his eye.

"Okay, either we wear the same kind of boxers, or these are mine." He says as he picks up some light blue, striped boxers. I look up and laugh nervously before getting up and snatching the boxers from him. I stash them away in my drawers before returning my attention to the curious protozoan.

"They're mine. Please refrain from touching any of my personal belongings. I didn't say this in the beginning because I thought it was apparent." I say, trying to hide the blush on my cheeks. Of course they're his. I stole them one night when I snuck into his apartment, which is a disaster by the way. He has no sense of organization. I could have gotten lost in that hellish abyss.

"Hmm…it's raining again." Shizu-chan states as he points out the window. I sigh as I watch the raindrops hit the window gently. I get up and close the curtains, not wanting to continue looking at the dreary sky. "Are you done yet, flea?"

"Almost, have patience, Shizu-chan." I say as I sit back at my desk and send the last two replies to the e-mails I received a couple hours ago. "There, I'm done. Now then, what should—" I would have finished that question if the loud thunderous roar didn't frighten me. I jumped and quickly covered my ears after that, my body shivering in absolute terror. Shizu-chan looks at me curiously before walking over to me and petting my head to try to calm me down. Another loud thunderous roar, this time I quickly attach myself to the brute, wrapping my entire body on his, my legs wrapping around his waist and my arms flung around his neck. My fur sticks up on my ears and tail and my body shivers in fear.

"Flea, get off of me!" Shizu-chan yells as he tries to pry me away from him. "It's just a little bit of thunder; it's nothing to be chicken shit over!" He finally releases my grip on him and tosses me to the couch. "Jeez, you're such a scaredy cat."

"I am not!" Another roar. I hide myself in the couch cushions and meow in terror. I can't see Shizu-chan, but I can tell that he's looking at me. And before I can protest, he sits next to me and stokes my back to try to calm me down. "I have a phobia okay? I'm not a scaredy cat." I say, though it's probably muffled by the pillows. My ears twitch as I get my head out of the cushions and listen in for any more alarming sounds. Suddenly, the phone rings. I immediately attach myself to Shizu-chan again after screaming/meowing in fright.

Shizu-chan pushes me off him and grabs the phone.

"Hello?" Shizu-chan says as he answers it. "No. He's kind of busy at the moment shitting a brick."

"Shut up protozoan! Give me the phone!"

"It's Shinra." Shizu-chan says as he hands me the phone.

"Hello Shinra." I say dully. "What do you want now?"

"Well, just called to check up on you guys. Um…what was up with what Shizuo said?" I tell him it was nothing. "Is it because of the thunder? I really hope you get over that fear. Anyway, Celty said you guys were getting along. I'm really glad; it's really good to hear that your two best friends are finally getting along, as they should have in the beginning."

"What are you going on about Shinra?"

"Just happy, I suppose I'm rambling. Anyway, just keep me updated on any progress."

"What progr—"

"You might be surprised that Shizuo hides a lot of secrets too." He says vaguely. "Good luck." He hangs up after that.

"Well, that was a splendid chat." I say dully. "Shizu-chan…?" I say as I notice he's missing. "Shizu-chan, where'd you go?!" I say a bit louder so he can hear me. Still no answer. I get off the couch and start searching for that dumb dog. I check the bathroom, jiggling the doorknob but find that it's not locked and also not occupied. Then, I check the kitchen…still nothing. "Shizu-chan, I have a biscuit for you! Granted it's not a dog biscuit but a bread biscuit…but it's the only thing I could find in the kitchen."

"Flea!" I hear him yell from my bedroom. I head over to my bedroom and find Shizu-chan looking quite angry and holding up what seems to be a book. "What the fuck is this!?" He says as he tosses it to me in his fit of rage. It hurts because he threw it pretty hard, well, more like chucked it at me. I look at it and grimace…Of course he just had to find the doushinjis that involve me and Shizu-chan romantically involved with each other because the world despises me and just loves to humiliate me.

"What the fuck are those?!" He asks loudly.

"They're doushinjis…but they aren't mine…"

"Like hell they aren't! I found them under your bed!"

"Well, what the heck were you doing snooping around my room!?" He's suddenly silent. I growl at him angrily before putting the book away. "I just like reading them…it's interesting to see what people think our relationship would be like. That's all." I say nervously. "One can dream can't they?"

"W-what…?"

"Nothing." I say abruptly. "Let's go watch some TV. I rather not talk about my personal life." I say as lead him down stairs, practically pushing him. When we get to the couch I push him and tell him to stay there; his ears prick up when I say this and he just glares at me. For a long time I've wanted to be in control of Shizu-chan and now that it's happening I feel happy, but even if I were to command him to do something unreasonable like kiss me for example, it wouldn't please me. Shizu-chan wouldn't be doing it because he wants to, he'd be doing it because I said so. I can't keep chasing after him like this. I don't want to be in love with him anymore; the chase is fruitless and depressing. If he wants to just be friends, so be it. There's nothing I can do. I can't force him.

I flip on the TV and look for something decent to watch. Shizu-chan takes the remote from me and looks at the clock before skipping to his desired channel, which is some cartoon I've managed to avoid up until now. I look at him with a glare, but it doesn't seem to faze him. I sigh before getting up and opening my hall closet to retrieve a blanket. I head back to the couch and sit with the blanket covering my body.

I hear another thunderous roar, but try not to look afraid. Shizu-chan turns his head to look at me, probably waiting for me to jump in his arms. I look away from me and pretend that I'm going to sleep. He shifts beside me and seems like he's watching TV again. I look at the lamp on the nightstand next to me as I think about how I'm ever going to get over this…

Another roar, this time louder than the last. It's absolutely dreadful; the sound makes all the blood drain from my body. I shake a little from fear but then manage calm myself down. I suddenly feel Shizu-chan's hand on my shoulder, pulling me towards him. He embraces me softly, putting my head close to his chest. I can hear his heart beating a little faster than normal.

"If you're scared you don't need to hide it." He says softly as he holds me tightly. I glare at him and push him away.

"I don't need you to pity me." I tell him bitterly. Thunder roars once again making me quiver. He shakes his head and sighs before returning to his TV program. "Besides, I'm a twenty-one year old man."

"You're twenty-three, idiot." Shizu-chan says with annoyance. I turn my head and try to avoid him. If he's not in love with me, it's best to just remain as we are. Bickering and fighting is what we're used to. Besides, I've lost hope; after all the terrible things I've done I'm surprised he even wants to be friends, but Shizu-chan is pretty much known for being unpredictable.

Half-way into the show there's some romantic scene with a tender kiss. The girl is shy though so she pulls away and blushes. Shizu-chan nervously plays with his sunglasses which are in his hands. I watch him look attentively at the TV, hoping that he doesn't notice me staring at him. I sigh and turn my head and sink into the couch, suddenly feeling really tired. Before I even realize it, I fall asleep.

**Shizuo's POV**

I knew he'd fall asleep sooner or later. He's really not much of a TV watcher especially now that he's a cat. He falls asleep pretty fast. He looks peaceful just like when he used to sleep on the roof at Raira…There's a couple rounds of thunder throughout the night, at every roar Izaya shifts in his sleep. I watch him squirm a bit before petting his head so he can relax. I stroke his head, feeling the softness of his hair and the gentle feeling of his velvet black ears. I then cup his cheek in my hand as I lean to kiss his forehead. I growl at myself for letting my emotions get the better of me.

"Shizu-chan…" He mutters in his sleep tenderly, he blushes a little before drifting off to sleep again. I rub my nose against his cheek before making room for me to press up against him to comfort him. Despite dreaming of me (I assume at least) he's still terrified by the loud sound of thunder. I hold him in my arms and nuzzle my face into his neck. I know that this isn't like me, but this is the only time I can really do this. If I wake early enough I might be able to slip away without him knowing that I had cuddled with him during the night. I whine a bit before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning I find that Izaya has wrapped his arms around me and pressed his face close to my chest. I feel warm and comfortable like this, though I didn't think I would. But I have to slip out of his grasp before he wakes up. I slowly pull away from him and try to escape him his tight hold as slowly as I can. Once I get out of his grasp I find myself unable to steady myself enough to stay on the couch. I fall to the floor with a heavy thud and then curse myself for being so damn clumsy.

"Ne…Shizu-chan…?" Izaya says as he rubs his eyes before yawning. I get up off the floor and glare at him before saying good morning. "Ah…you're still here…"

"Yeah…why wouldn't I be?"

"I always figured you had no life, but I didn't actually think you'd prove me right~" Izaya says with a laugh.

"Shut it." I say as I head over to the window. My tail wags happily as I look out towards the city. "Why the hell do you live so high up?"

"Afraid of heights, Shizu-chan?"

"No…" I say simply. "I have to head out…It was…nice hanging out with you, I guess." I say uneasily.

"Hmm, likewise I suppose." Izaya says as he ruffles his hair and gets up, removing the blanket from his small body. He's really skinny. I don't think he eats much, seems like he's the type of person who really watches his weight. I hear a knock on the door before seeing Namie enter the living room. Her again? Didn't Izaya send her away?

"What the hell are you doing here?" Izaya asks groggily. "I thought I banished you from here."

"I forgot something." Namie says dully. She then smirks and takes out the light pen and turns it on. Izaya immediately starts chasing after it like last time. I get out of the line of fire and growl at the witch. She rolls her eyes at me before smiling and throwing the pen to me. I catch it in my mouth and then put it in my hands. "You two are weird." She says before shaking her head. She gets close to me and whispers, "Use that whenever he's being a prick."

"Thanks." I say with a smile as I close my hand around it. She heads over to the desk and grabs her bag.

"Oh and here." She says before tossing a ball to the corner of the room. I immediately chase after it and catch it in my mouth. "Have fun~"

"Evil witch." I say angrily.

"Where'd it go?" Izaya says as he spins around trying to find the red light. "Gah, forget it, stupid Namie."

"Oi Flea." I say before pointing towards the red spot on the wall. He turns around and his ears prick up happily before he lunges his body towards the light. He misses of course and I point the light somewhere else. He immediately chases after it despite it being completely a waste of time. He probably knows that it's useless, but his instincts don't let him choose. He's kind of cute this way. He's in my control, he's playing around happily (even if he's probably annoyed that I'm tricking him). "Namie was right, this is fun."

"Protozoan—stop it—this instant!" He says as he continues to play with the light. I make it go in a circle and he spins around for a while before getting dizzy. "Ne…"

"Had enough?" Izaya gets up and snatches the pen out of my hands. "Hey!" He glares at me before hiding the pen in his drawers. He seems kind of more mad than usual. Usually he'll just be a bit annoyed or playful. Right now he seems really angry, like I've upset him by doing something even more annoying than making him chase around a red light for ten minutes. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." He says but, it sounds like that 'I'm fine' where it really doesn't sound like he's fine. "I'm heading over to Shinra's. I'm gonna see the progress on that antidote. I'll be back later. If you want to stick around here it's fine with me, just don't break anything."

"Alright…" I say a bit downheartedly. What's up with him? Does he…hate me…? He puts on his fur-trimmed jacket and is about to leave when I grab his wrist. "Wait…are you…upset at me…?" I ask him worriedly. He turns and faces me before giving me a forced smile.

"Of course not." He says uneasily. "You're silly, Shizu-chan; don't be so paranoid. You're overanalyzing things. That's not you're style."

"You seem kind of…pissed…" I say slowly. "I just…" I didn't realize it but I'm holding onto his hand. He slips out of my grasp and glares at the ground, but I'm pretty sure that glare is actually for me.

"I'll see you in a little while Shizu-chan." He says a bit dryly. He puts his hood on and then heads out. It isn't like him to be so distant like that. I mean usually he's really clingy to me, always following me around all the damn time. And it isn't like him to get all emotional over something like this.

Damn it…Shinra was right, I'm like a dog that gets lonely when his master leaves…Maybe that's why I'm whining now? I sit down on the floor, my tail no longer wagging. I look around the apartment before setting my sights on the door. I stare at it for a long while hoping that Izaya would just suddenly reappear, but it doesn't happen, not even when ten minutes have passed. I sigh before finally getting up and walking around the apartment to explore. I'm sure I'll find some really messed up stuff in Izaya's house, but what else is there for me to do? Besides I've already found those stupid books. And Tom's still gone, so there's nothing much I can do.

I sit on the couch and, oddly enough, start inhaling the sweet scent on the pillow that Izaya was sleeping on. I never knew he smelled so good…and I never knew I'd actually like this smell. He used to smell really bad to me.

"Izaya-ni!" I hear a squeaky voice say loudly through the front door. "Izaya-ni, open up! We've got a present for you!" I head to the door and open it, immediately noticing the two twin girls standing there really surprised.

"Izaya's not here." I say lazily.

"Oh, you guys already had sex?" Mairu asks unexpectedly.

"WHAT!? NO!"

"Well, then why are you here at Izaya-ni's place _in the morning_?"

"He said I could stay here until he got back from somewhere. And last night it—"

"Ooh, '_last night_' huh?" Mairu says with a grin. I put my hand on her head and press her head down angrily. "Ow! Were you this rough with Ni-chan last night—OW!"

"Shut up! We didn't have sex! You didn't let me finish!" I say angrily.

"Didn't let you finish having sex with Izaya-ni just now?" Mairu says with a laugh.

"NO! Shut the fuck up and let me finish my _sentence_!"

"Alright, alright. Sounds like you really didn't have sex with Izaya-ni. If you did you wouldn't be so angry right now. Maybe you're this mad because you didn't get any last night from Ni-chan~" I sigh before putting my hand on my forehead in frustration.

"Last night there was a thunderstorm and your brother was scared so I stayed over to keep him company. That's it." I explain quickly so they don't interrupt me.

"Wow, you sure are boring." Mairu says with a giggle. "Well, can we stick around to wait for Ni-chan for a while?"

"I don't really care if you wait, but just don't wait here. You guys are annoying the hell out of me." I say angrily as I'm about to close the door. One of them places their foot so the door won't close, so they immediately slip their way through. I sigh as I watch them jump on the couch and turn on the TV casually. "You said you had a present for your brother."

"Yeah, it's us visiting. Isn't that a great present?"

"Great." Kururi says dully.

"I'm surprised your brother isn't suicidal." I say simply as I sit on a recliner and try to get a couple more minutes of shut-eye. Suddenly when I open my eyes again, I see the two girls hovering over me, inspecting me for something. "What the hell!?"

"I don't know what our brother sees in you. I mean you are handsome, but Yuhei is a lot better. Not that we'd want Izaya-ni to like Yuhei though. Yuhei's off limits." Mairu explains happily. "But I guess people will like whoever they like."

"He told you guys that he likes me?"

"No, we forced it out of him. We tied him up one time and threatened to blackmail him with embarrassing pictures my sister and I had photo shopped. It was really fun to see him negotiate with us so readily." Damn they _are_ little demons. "He said that he really likes your eyes."

"Uh…" I say uneasily.

"And the way you're hair is so soft."

"Okay…"

"Butt."

"Oh yeah, he likes your butt too." Mairu explains for her sister. I really didn't need to know all that. "Do you like Izaya-ni back?"

"I don't know." I say honestly as I get up and rub the back of my neck. "Listen, I don't like being interrogated like this, especially by two little girls."

"We aren't little." Mairu argues. "Hey! What are you—" I pick them up by their hoods and carry them outside. I toss them out and close the door quickly before locking it. I exhale as I listen to their nagging. I head over to the window and look out towards the city. My dog ears twitch a bit as I watch the people below walking casually along the streets of Shinjuku. I sigh before scanning Izaya's place. I set my sights on something that catches my eye. I head over to it and pick it up.

It's a picture of Shinra, Kadota, Izaya, and me in high school. Izaya has his arm around me, which makes me glare at him. Shinra and Kadota are just looking at us worriedly. It's a strange picture, but it seems like he took a liking to it if it's here in his living room. I check the back of the frame after noticing a sliver of paper sticking out. I take out the backing and notice it's not the corner of the photo sticking out, but a piece of paper that's been placed behind the photo. It's probably something secret since it was placed somewhere so discreet.

"What is this…?" I ask myself as I unfold the paper. I finally notice it's a letter, but what's more surprising is that it's addressed to me. And it's from Izaya.

_Dear Shizu-chan,_

_I've never noticed how lonely it's been at the top until I meet you. I once thought that having humanistic emotions were only a hindrance, so naturally I shunned them away so I could be invincible, almost God-like. It's only now that I see that I'm not above humans at all. I can feel emotions; I feel attachment towards you. Sometimes I can't stop thinking about you. I do tease you a lot, I know, but I enjoy making you angry mostly because I've been positive since the first day we met that it'd be impossible to make you feel any other emotion towards me. But, it's not like I enjoy being hated by you; I only like that when I get you mad you pay attention to me. You don't see anything else but me. It makes me sort of happy. For the past couple of weeks I've noticed that I don't hate you; I may not like the fact that you don't like me, but I certainly don't hate you. In fact…I really, really like you. I know this letter is probably too long for your short attention span, but I hope that you make it to the end of this to know that I really do like you a lot. And so I want to ask you…will you go out with me?_

_Sincerely, Izaya Orihara~_

It's from when we were in high school. I can't believe he wrote me a letter like this but never gave it to me. I guess it'd be too awkward to, but I mean I never thought Izaya was shy. He'd always be so confident in everything he'd do, especially when it came to knowing shit. But, to think he actually had something like this but didn't have the guts to give it to me. The question at the end made my heart skip a beat. I felt as if this was some kind of plan of his, that he purposely left the letter here so I could find it.

I fold it back up and keep it in my pocket. I'm not gonna mention it to him but if he asks about where it is, I'll take that as my opportunity to ask.

* * *

A/N: I really, really, really love that laser pen :3 I hope you guys are loving it too! Anyway, please review~!


	12. Eavesdropping and Confessing

Yay, another chapter :3 Hope you all enjoy. I really love the reviews so keep them coming if you're able to~! Thanks so much!

* * *

**Izaya's POV**

There are a few clouds in the sky right now, but they don't look like they're going to drop buckets of water on me, thankfully. People are still interested as to why I'm like this, especially little children, but I ignore their stares. I feel terrible right now. I've always liked messing with Shizu-chan since it was always so entertaining, but trying to make him suffer by ignoring him and making him think that I'm not longer interested in him is painful for me.

It's difficult to try an ignore my feelings for him and play hard to get, but if some humans do this to pick up people it must work, maybe even be amusing to watch them beg, right? I've never seen Shizu-chan beg so, I wouldn't mind trying this whole hard to get thing to see how this all goes down. Besides, a little playful revenge never hurt anyone.

"Celty, there's nothing to worry about. They'll be alright. I mean, the serum I made is perfectly safe." I hear Shinra's voice from behind the door. "I just couldn't believe it worked so well and I didn't think they would believe that whole 'gave you animal blood' explanation. I could have sworn that Izaya would have been smart enough to know if something like that did happen it'd never be able to turn them into hybrid animals." That little! "I'm glad the experiment worked though and I killed two birds with one stone. I tested out my serum and I helped those too get a little closer. It was genius!" I grit my teeth while the fur on my ears and tail stand up. "I'm just gonna let things take off from here before telling them that I 'made' the antidote." I open the door at this point, practically swing it open, and glare at Shinra as soon as I find him. "Gah! Izaya-kun! This is…a pleasant surprise…?" He says nervously as he sits closer to Celty, probably hoping for protection.

"Hello Shinra. I couldn't help but hear the lovely monologue you were telling to Celty just now~"

"Ah, ah _that_…well…I…" Shinra stutters as he stands up and slowly backs away from me. "Listen, I can explain…"

"Please do. I'm dying to hear the whole story." I say as I glare at him.

So…here I am with Shinra and Celty in the living room trying to follow Shinra's explanation.

"After the accident…it was a successful, standard blood transfusion, but while you two were out of it, I decided to take advantage of that perfect opportunity and test out a new serum I had made…I had lied about giving you animal blood to the both of you and thought that if you believed it was an accident then I wouldn't be murdered!" Shinra pauses and sighs.

"Why did you even think about making us this way though?" I ask him angrily.

"Well, if you were animals I thought I could control you both…that is, classically conditioned you to do as I wished and begin to help you both to get along with each other. I was going to make both of you dogs…but something went horribly wrong…I suppose I didn't label the serums correctly and the result is kind of staring me in the face."

"Do NOT refer to me as 'the result'." I say with a cat-like growl. "First of all I can't believe you would dare do this to me! I knew I smelled something suspicious and Celty was in on all of this!" I point to the accused sitting next to the mad doctor and pout as I sit back in the recliner. "Next you're gonna tell me that you've had the antidote all along." It suddenly turns silent. "Of course. Why would I think any different?"

"Izaya-kun, please try to understand…I was doing all of this for you guys. I wanted to have you both get along. Isn't that considered 'having good intentions' or was I truly in the wrong?" Shinra asks nervously.

"Look, just tell me one thing…if Shizu-chan and were to ask for the antidote, you'd change us back?" I ask uneasily.

"Of course…now that you know I suppose it's best to ask you if you'd like to change back to normal. And I suppose it's best to tell Shizuo the truth now too…you two _are_ getting along now…so I suppose it's safe to change you both back."

"_I'll_…tell Shizu-chan. You don't have to bother with it. He'll probably throw the whole couch at you if you tell him. I'll tell him in person." I say as my ears flatten against my head. Shinra nods and pats my head, probably silently thanking me for understanding.

This is more than I can stand. I'm not mad at Shinra for doing what he did. I just hope that I can keep this little "experiment" going for longer than anyone expects. I don't want to change back to normal if Shizu-chan is finally treated me like this. If I can lie to him and have the experiment prolonged then I might be able to have Shizu-chan fall in love with me during that time. If we both change back to normal it's possible that we're going to return to our daily routine of our fighting.

"And what if by some small chance, Shizu-chan and I want to stay the way we are, Shinra?" I ask before leaving out the door. He stares at me with a confusing look. I look at him casually as if the question I just asked was completely normal.

I return to my apartment after buying some more catnip (impulsively) from the pet store and a lovely dog bone for Shizu-chan. Before opening the door I hear the faint sound of Shizu-chan whining. He seems to be pacing around before approaching the door hastily. He opens the door and practically attacks me with a hug; his tail wagging fiercely. I hadn't even been gone for an hour and he's missed me this much?

"Sh-Shizu-chan wh-what are you doing?!" I ask as I blush.

"Shut up…" He says nervously. From where my head is on his shoulder I can feel the heat in his face and see that he's blushing up to his ears. I smile and ruffle his hair as I enjoy the warmth of this hug. He releases me and looks at me before putting his hands in his pockets. I then find myself becoming completely stunned by the sight of my living room all in chaos. "Oh…um…I was kind of getting bored after you were gone and…"

"It looks like a tornado came through here!"

"I don't think you should see the kitchen." He says shamelessly. I was aware of Shizu-chan's destructive nature, but I assumed that he only got that way if he was provoked. Turns out when he's lonely his dog instincts kick in and he's not in control of his actions even more so than when he's just full-blown angry. I sigh before sitting on my torn couch and then look around to find bits and pieces of things and then set my sights on a stain on the floor. I point at the stain and glare at him. "It's milk, I swear." He says as his ears twitch a bit. He begins scratching the back of his neck as he guiltily sits next to me.

"I'm going to close my eyes and pretend I didn't see anything…while you clean up all this mess. When I wake up, I expect this place to be spotless." I say as I close my eyes. He shifts next to me before getting up and beginning to clean up his mess. I hear a few curse words and mumbles here and there, even horrible crashes and falls, but for the most part it's relatively quiet. After a few moments Shizu-chan shakes me and says that "it'll have to be good enough for now". I open my eyes and see a few missed spots where Shizu-chan didn't even try cleaning. For one, some socks are still on my ceiling fan (I have no idea how they got there). Secondly, that stain is still on the carpet next to my desk. Papers are still on the floor and the stuffing from the pillows that were once neatly resting on my couches are scattered around everywhere. I sigh and nod before rubbing my temples. Such a slob Shizu-chan is.

"Your sisters were here a while ago, by the way." Shizu-chan says as he sits next to me and puts his feet on my coffee table. I sit up and quickly remove his feet before giving him a glare. "They wanted to spend some time with you I guess. I sent them away because they were being bothersome."

"I love you." I say as I run my fingers through my hair before collapsing on his lap.

"Huh…?"

"I'm just really happy that you got rid of them. That ship has already sailed." I say as I close my eyes.

"What ship?" Shizu-chan asks naïvely. I want to face palm myself, but I don't.

"Nothing. Forget it, protozoan." I say dully as I relax and let my ears flatten against my head. Shizu-chan puts his rough, but strong hand on my head and begins to pet me. I start purring comfortably. I turn my head and look at him with a smile. He lifts his hand and I paw it with my own playfully (though I know full well that I don't have a paw). He smiles as he allows me to play with his hand. After a couple seconds I find myself enjoying the feeling of Shizu-chan's fingers through my hair. His hands travel to my ears and play with them a little before they prick up and I get off of him hastily. "I rather you didn't do that…"

"You were the one making yourself comfortable on my lap."

"You were the one encouraging me!" I say as I turn to blush. Suddenly my computer makes a peculiar sound and I realize that I've just received an e-mail from a client so I head over and try to recompose myself. I'm supposed to be playing hard to get, so why am I sticking to Shizu-chan like glue?

**Shizuo's POV**

I swear he's acting weird today. I mean, he seemed to enjoying me touching him just a little while ago, but then all of sudden he got up and scolded me for holding him…I mean, it's not like I want to hold him…I mean I do, but I don't want him to know that. Yeah, I'm suppressing my urges. But now I'm putting two and two together; he's suppressing his urges as well. I know he likes me; I'm not being haughty right now, he's told me that he likes me. Heck, he even said "love" once; though it wasn't to my face I could tell he was telling the truth. His voice broke when he said it, as if he was gonna have a heart attack or something.

"Hmm…"

I turn my head and see Izaya fiddling with a ball of yarn at his desk. I get off the couch and then start to head over to him, but then something catches my eye. I look over to the bag on the floor and quickly lunge at it, scavenging through it before finally catching the tasty bone in my mouth. I chew on it for a few seconds before I feel something soft hit the side of my head. I turn towards Izaya who points at his ball of yarn on the floor, which he threw at my head, and tells me to get over here. I grab the small ball of yarn and do as I'm told, instinctively of course because I wouldn't be taking orders from Izaya otherwise.

"Since you're out of work right now Shizu-chan do you mind me using you for this small task?" Izaya asks with a smirk. I growl before looking at the bone in my hand. I place the bone on my shoulder as if it's a club and look at him skeptically.

"What kind of task?"

* * *

We look completely ridiculous. I'm pretty sure these jackets are from the 1950s and the shades are a bit much. I don't usually wear black shades. Izaya doesn't wear shades, period. We're at a coffee shop waiting for a guy who's gonna retrieve some info from Izaya but incognito because the cops are after this guy and his friends. So, Izaya and I are dressed up in these stupid get-ups so we're not recognized if stuff gets leaked out. The guy we're working with is sending this retrieval guy to get the info and also to give Izaya the cash, but we're gonna have to make it seem as if we're just meeting for some coffee like old friends.

How did I manage to get myself into this mess?

"Why do we have to wear these stupid jackets and shades?"

"Well, you don't want people to recognize us, do you? What if there's a rivaling gang out here who sees us interact with these guys. Then we'd be in trouble."

"This looks more suspicious. We stand out more than we usually do!" I say a bit too loudly. Neighboring customers look over for a moment before turning around after I glare at them through my shades. "We look like muggers."

"Correction: we look like _1950s_ muggers." He says with a smirk. "I guess the leather jackets were a bit much. Oh well."

"Where the hell did you get these anyway?"

"My sisters bought me two. A brown, the one you're wearing and a black, the one I'm wearing."

"I ain't color blind, louse."

"My, my you have to resort to using grammatically incorrect language, Shizu-chan? Didn't you know that 'ain't' isn't a word?" He says with a laugh. "Anyway, it shouldn't be long now. Ah there he is!" The guy Izaya waves to walks over to us casually as if he's some old high school buddy. He sits down and smiles before placing his folders on the table. "Nice to see you again Minato-san." Izaya says happily. The guy scoffs a little before smiling too.

"It's always a pleasure having to see you again, Izaya-kun." Seems like they're pretty familiar with each other. Somehow it pisses me off. "How've you been?"

"Good." Izaya says calmly.

"I heard from Yuki-san that you've been off work for a while. Something up?"

"Nah, just took a bit of a vacation. That's all. Why, were you worried about me~?"

"You could say that." He says with a smirk. I glare at Minato, as he's called, for about two minutes before he finally notices and clears his throat. "Who's your partner?"

"His 'partner' can speak, so why don't you ask me who I am, dipshit." Izaya steps on my foot.

"He's my own personal bodyguard." Izaya explains casually. "That way if you try to attack me you're dead meat."

"Ah, you don't trust me. I see." Minato laughs and then hands Izaya an envelope. "Here's the files you wanted." Izaya nods. Files? Wasn't he supposed to give him money?

"And here's your documents." Izaya says as he hands him a bunch of folders. "Good luck~" Minato nods and heads off after taking a sweet bread. I growl before he leaves and then take a long swig of my cocoa.

"What was up with that?" I ask him angrily. He looks at me curiously so I growl in frustration before continuing on. "You were flirting with that guy." I say angrily.

"No I wasn't. I was just being friendly." Izaya says as he drinks his coffee. "I'm a wiz at dealing with people in a casual environment, Shizu-chan. Some people I deal with do find me rather pleasant, sometimes even charming."

"I find that hard to believe. And besides, weren't we here to get your cash not files."

"Shizu-chan really has to learn how to speak code dialect. Of course if anyone said they were exchanging cash for something people would be suspicious. Use that thing in your head called a brain, Shizu-chan. If you were some guy trying to bomb a building would you say that you have a bomb in your suitcase before handing it to your partner to hide it in the said building?"

"You lost me at the 'if you were some guy trying to bomb a building'…" I say dully.

"Shizuo?" I suddenly hear a familiar voice say to the left of me. I turn my head and find Tom standing there. My tail becomes really wag-happy. I get up and hastily hug Tom as if he was my master who had gone off on vacation and just got back. "Ah…nice to see you too…" He says a bit awkwardly.

"Sorry…it's a new habit…" I say dully.

"Oh, have you replaced the smoking habit with the hugging habit?" Tom says with a laugh. He asks if he could sit down so I tell him to go ahead. I look over to Izaya, whom I almost forgot was sitting right there and glare at him, threatening him silently not to do anything sneaky or say anything unnecessary. He just smiles.

"I thought you were gonna be gone for a week." I say as I try to make my tail stop wagging.

"Well, I finished work early. I was gonna call you a couple hours ago to check up on you, but I decided not to since I thought you were taking a nap or something." Tom says with a smile. "So, you're hanging out with Izaya today?" Izaya's ears spring up from the sound of his name and twitch slightly.

"Uh…yeah…"

"So you two are finally getting along? That's kind of weird, but great. Maybe when you come back to work next Monday, you'll be able to stay focused even if he comes to Ikebukuro. That way you won't run off and abandon me every time he happens to come around." Izaya twitches his ears and takes a sip of his coffee. "So…how have you been Izaya-kun?"

"I can't complain." Izaya says casually. "It's nice to finally meet Shizu-chan's boss—or should I say master? OW!" I stepped on his foot furiously before he could say anything else. "Brute!"

"I see you two stay true to your roots." Tom says nervously. "Well, it's better than the usual vending machine fiascos. Or the stop signs…" That's my trademark though. "Anyway, I better get going. I'm meeting up with some friends in a little while. I'll let you guys enjoy your breakfast. See ya next Monday Shizuo." Tom says as he gets up and walks off. My ears twitch a bit as I see him off.

"First my tail and now my foot. Are you trying to break every bone in my body, protozoan?!" Izaya asks angrily.

"That's the plan, yes." I say as I look at him with an annoyed expression. He looks at me angrily before shaking his head.

"I'm glad I fell out of love with you. It would have been a horrible mistake to love such a monster." Izaya says as he finishes his coffee. I look at my cup of hot cocoa and suddenly feel upset, maybe even a little hurt by what he just said. I suddenly get angry and toss his pastry off his plate, the plate flying off with it. "What the heck is your problem?!"

"You're my problem!" I say as I grab the collar of his shirt. "Stop making me feel like an idiot!"

"What are you talking about? You don't need my help in doing that! You do fine by yourself." He says with a smirk. I suddenly get up, tossing the table to the side and grabbing him before sending him flying onto the street. Unfortunately the car that was about to crush him stopped just in time. I head over to him, but he's already on his feet. He takes out his knife and instead of trying to stab me with it, he jumps on the car that almost ran him over and makes a run for it. I chase after him, avoiding the passing cars as best that I can. I try tuning out the driver's screams and protests. Once they see who I am though, they stay silent.

Izaya is not too far away now. He's almost within reach. If I grab the hood of his stupid jacket then I can strangle the little flea. But why does this seem so familiar? The street, the time of day, everything seems so familiar. We've played this cat and mouse game for years, but why is it now that things feel as if I'm experiencing déjà vu? I suddenly stop as Izaya turns the corner. It's almost as if I'm reliving that time from high school; the first time I ever saw Izaya seem so shaken and close to crying.

I've had enough. I turn the corner and find that Izaya led himself into a dead end. I take this chance to fish the letter out of my pocket. I lift it up and call the flea's name to get his attention. When he turns around and spots the letter he seems shocked; I'm positive he recognizes it because he immediately walks towards me. He glares at me before pulling his knife on me.

"Give me that back." He says menacingly.

"Not until you tell me why you didn't give it to me." I say sternly.

"You read it?!" He asks as a blush creeps onto his face. I nod simply before looking at him sternly, waiting for him to answer me. "Why do you care anyway?" He says solemnly. He tries to mask his depression by smirking and laughing at me like always while spinning his knife around nonchalantly.

"I care because…" I look at the floor before holding the letter tightly. "If I had known…"

"If you would have known you wouldn't have told me you felt the same way. I confessed to you recently and got rejected by you. The same thing would have happened then." He says angrily.

"I only rejected you because…I don't want to feel this way about you…damn flea!" He suddenly looks at me with surprise as he lowers his knife.

"W-what?" Izaya asks as looks at me as if I said something otherworldly. "What are you talking about, Shizu-chan?"

"I'm not sure what I'm saying…" I say as I run my fingers through my hair. "Look, just tell me why you never gave me the fucking letter."

"First of all, it's not a 'fucking letter'. And secondly, I won't tell you why unless you tell me what you meant." Izaya says sternly. I get a bit irritated so I walk up to him, already ready to tear him to pieces but instead I grab a hold of his arms and glare at him a second.

"I don't hate you okay?! Are you happy?!" I finally saying, feeling kind of relieved that that weight is off my shoulders. Unfortunately, it's not over with just these words. "I didn't _want_ to reject you. I just said that to avoid confronting my damn feelings." I pause and sigh. "I like you...you damn flea. I mean…I thought if I didn't say anything then I'd get over it or maybe the feelings would go away." Izaya gives me a faint smile.

"If it didn't work for me, it certainly wasn't going to for you, Shizu-chan." He says with a laugh. "I figured just as much. You seemed a bit too affectionate to just want to be friends." Izaya says with a smile. "So…how long have you felt this way towards me?" I glare at him before growling lowly at him. I turn my face to the side, avoiding eye contact with him for a moment before he pokes me with his knife.

"Don't do that, fucking flea!" I say as I grab the knife aggressively and toss it somewhere behind me.

"OW!" Someone says from behind me.

"Oh shit!" I say as I turn my head and look at who I might have hit.

"Oh hey look, a free knife!" Well, I guess they weren't hit by the slicing part of the knife…Damn lucky.

"You owe me a new one. Some hobo took my knife." Izaya says angrily.

"The hobo needs it more than you. Knife happy maniac."

"That hobo is probably gonna turn into a serial killer because of you."

"So? Who the hell cares about cereal boxes?"

"Oh my god…" Izaya says in disbelief. He puts his hand to his face and shakes his head slowly. "Please don't tell me…you're…oh god…"

"What?" I ask angrily.

"Look…" Izaya says. "If your feelings for me are only because you're pitying me then I'd rather you hate me. I don't like to be pitied. I know Shinra must have told you about what I went through during high school. And since you read the letter…I don't want to accept those kind of feelings."

"I liked you _during_ high school too, flea." I say with annoyance. "That's why I said to you that you pissed me off when we first met." I confess with a sigh. "I mean at first I thought it was because you seemed like you gave off that kind of prick kind of vibe, but now that I think about it…I really didn't like the way you made me feel. I got mad at myself for liking you I guess. And even when we fought I still found myself…wanting to be near you…wanting to chase you…"

Izaya looks at the floor for a moment before reaching for the letter. I allow him to take it since it is his after all…He opens it up and examines it for a few seconds before sighing.

"So after saying that you like me, what do you expect me to do?" Izaya asks with a glare. "If you had feelings for me all this time why didn't you just say so? If you were asking _me_ why I didn't say anything years ago, shouldn't I be able to ask _you_ the same thing?"

"I didn't know exactly what I was feeling before." I say honestly. "Look, I know that I was being an ass for rejecting you when I just wanted to ignore any feelings I have for you…wanted to ignore your feelings…but…I'm listening now, so can you at least tell me why you didn't give me the letter? Maybe if you had given me the letter when we were in high school all this shit wouldn't have happened between us."

"Oh really?" Izaya asks skeptically. "Fine, I'll tell you what had prevented me from giving you the letter, but don't think that listening to me now will change what you did." I nod in understanding as he looks at the letter once more before beginning his story. "It was after gym class…you were changing out of your gym clothes and…"

"You were watching me?" I ask with annoyance.

"NO!" He says as he hides a blush. "Let me continue…"

* * *

A/N: So who believed the animal blood story at the beginning? And who thought that that reason was kind of fishy about the animal blood? XD The revealing of the letter flashback will be in the next chapter, both of their POVs. See you Sunday! Sorry for the cliffhanger. I thought the chapter would get too long :\ Besides I wanted to keep the flashbacks seperate from this chapter :D PLEASE REVIEW!


	13. First Time I See You Cry

**Announcement**: I've got a busy schedule this week. Mainly Thanksgiving is gonna be busy since I'm the one who's gonna be making the whole feast this year :D! So Chapter 14 will be updated on Sunday. If I have enough time I might be able to update on Thursday but it's not 100% certain.

Thank you for all those who review, favorite, alert, and read! You're all lovely people :3 I had quite a bit of trouble making the flashbacks perfect...so sorry if they're a bit odd or poorly written...Izaya's is a bit short. SORRY. Anyway, please enjoy and review if you're able to, I love them to pieces~

* * *

**Izaya's POV**

I know I'm going to regret recalling this memory, but the brute wants to know so I'll tell him.

**Flashback (Izaya's POV)**

Shizu-chan was busy talking with Shinra to notice me a couple lockers behind him. I had the letter in my hands and although most of the guys stayed cleared of me because I wasn't too social they kept asking me if it was a love letter from a girl. I told them I'd cut their balls off if they continued to pester me. That shut them up pretty quickly since they noticed it'd be too easy to do so since they were in their boxers. I listened and waited for the right moment to ask Shizu-chan to walk with me. I was going to tell him that I wanted to talk with him along the way, but…

"Hey Shizuo what are you doing after school?" Shinra asks Shizu-chan. As they converse I watch Shizu-chan remove his shirt…Shizu-chan is really attractive with or without clothes. I suppose I'm a bit ashamed to say that I've watched him shower a couple times, though I've never seen him fully naked, just gotten down to his waist because I'd be in a horribly uncomfortable situation if one of the guys say be staring.

"I don't know…probably just gonna stay home since tomorrow's Sunday." I was glad by this point to know that he wasn't going anywhere special so I took this as my opportunity to ask.

"Shizu-chan~!" I say happily as the rest of the guys in the locker room leave.

"What the fuck do you want, flea?"

"Ne, I was just wondering if you wanted to walk home together~"

"Get lost flea. No way in hell I'd walk with you." I knew it wasn't going to be easy; Shizu-chan never made things easy.

"Shizu-chan…" At this point he just ignores me and walks over to go catch up with Kadota and Shinra. I feel quite hurt by this since I wasn't even trying to piss him off this time, so I grab one of the left over basketballs near the gym teacher's locker and toss it at his head. He apparently didn't like this and turned around fuming before chasing after me.

"IZZZAAAAAAYAAAA-KUN!"

"I wasn't trying to make you mad Shizu-chan! I just wanted to walk with you, you damn brute!"

"Like hell I'd ever walk with you, you fucking parasite!" I hold onto the letter more tightly, not wanting Shizu-chan to see it anymore. If he had, I assumed he would rip it up regardless if he read it or not. I decided to just focus on escaping the monster. "Get back here so I can strangle you!" It's in the same spot where Shizu-chan and I are standing now that he finally catches up to me and grabs the hood of my jacket before pulling me towards him. He grabs onto the collar of my shirt and looks at me with fierce eyes. "First you make me have a lousy day because you show up this morning and then piss me off throughout the whole day. Now, you want to walk home together as if we're buddies?" He kind of shakes me around as if I'm a ragdoll before tossing me to the ground.

"Shizu-chan's this mad because I hit you in the head with a basketball?" I ask him as I dust off my pants.

"No, I'm this mad because you're always causing me trouble and I'm sick and tired of it. Today was the worst day I've ever had because you kept playing pranks on me all morning, then you made me get in trouble so I had to stay after class and speak with the damn teacher, and not to mention that you freaking made me toss my lunch at you so I had nothing to eat for lunch."

"It's your fault you have that awful temper." I say in defense. I can feel the letter in the pocket of my jacket but I don't dare pull it out.

"I may have this temper but it's a hundred times worse when you're around. You make me hate myself much more than when you're not around." He pauses for a moment before continuing. "Just get out of my life, you damn louse." I let go of the letter in my pocket and take my hands out as you turn to leave. I turn my head as I feel the tears start to form in my eyes, I quickly dry them with the sleeve of my jacket before anyone sees me crying.

**End of Flashback**

After telling Shizu-chan of the story he said he wanted to explain what had possessed him to behave so cruelly to me—besides the fact that he's always been quite aggressive and unpredictable. He fidgets a bit as he tries to find the words. He looks at me awkwardly and then exhales.

**Shizuo's POV**

I really don't want to tell him why I had yelled at him so fiercely that day—more so than I had usually done. I mean, I guess I should clear things up since I did have reasons for why I had said what I said and why I was more mad than usual. Well…

**Flashback (Shizuo's POV)**

Our class just finished playing basketball in the courts, so we all head to the locker rooms to get changed and to head out. Shinra and I head over to our lockers which are across from each other while the flea heads over a couple lockers away in a different row. Izaya usually changes pretty quickly since he's always the first one out. But this time he's taking his time about it. I've never actually watched him changing to know he's fast.

"I'm gonna go get a towel." I say as I head over to the supply closet. After I get what I need I suddenly notice something that I never cared to notice before. He's not facing me so he can't see me staring at him. I guess I never bothered to notice how creamy his skinned looks, how slim his body is, how nice his…Shit I can't be looking at a guy's ass, that breaks all the codes of manliness, not to mention it's the flea's ass! I shake it off and try to remember how to walk, but something down south isn't letting me. Then the most horrible image I can think of pops in my head and I can't get it out.

Gah! I pictured the flea naked! There's so many things wrong with what I just saw…And what's worse is that I got turned on by it!

I quickly head over to my locker and try to calm down, but I think I'm blushing. I really don't want anyone to notice, especially Izaya since he takes notice of everything. I sit down and wipe the sweat off my face with the towel. I feel a bit more relaxed, but I have to get out of here before that parasite bugs me (like he always does). I don't know how I'm gonna be able to face him now…I decide to skip the shower since that'll take too much time. I wet the towel a bit and then take off my shirt before washing myself.

"Hey Shizuo what are you doing after school?" Shinra asks me out of the blue. I forgot he was standing right next to me. He's already in his uniform casually packing up his stuff.

"I don't know…probably just gonna stay home since tomorrow's Sunday." Sunday is the only day away from the damn flea. Of course I would just want to relax at home. Kasuka is going out with friends tonight to go see some dumb movie and Shinra told me already that he's going to have a "romantic dinner for two" with Celty. I doubt she'll agree to it though.

"Shizu-chan~!" Oh no…Damn it…

"What the fuck do you want, flea?" I say angrily, trying not to turn around and look at him, unless I want to feel terribly awkward, not to mention I might get turned on with just the memory of my stupid daydream.

"Ne, I was just wondering if you wanted to walk home together~" Why is it that the day when I really, really don't want to interact with the flea is the day when he wants to walk home with me? God…This isn't going to end well.

"Get lost flea. No way in hell I'd walk with you." I say as the mere sound of his voice is starting to stir some stupid feelings. God…if he were to moan what would it sound like? I shake the thought from my mind as I start to feel something down south again. I walk away from Izaya and try to clear my mind.

"Shizu-chan…" I barely hear the flea say before I feel something hit the back of my head. I turn around and see the damn flea nervously smiling at me. The basketball he threw at the back of my head is bouncing off to the side, with an echo dominating the locker room. I glare at the parasite before clenching my fists in my frustration. That was the final straw, not because he made me mad, but because he made me turn around and look at him and now I'm feeling uncomfortable and frustrated about the feelings I'm experiencing. It's even more irritating being turned on like this because of the damn flea and not being able to just go home and get my mind off it. "Ne…Shizu-chan…I didn't…"

I take a step forward menacingly, which makes him run off in an instant, out the back exit of the locker room. I chase after him immediately, in a fit of rage.

"IZZZAAAAAAYAAAA-KUN!" I yell as I follow the flea downtown. He doesn't seem too into the chase; he's usually really cocky and playful when I'm running after him, but today he seems disinterested and reluctant to "play".

"I wasn't trying to make you mad Shizu-chan! I just wanted to walk with you, you damn brute!" He says as he turns the corner. I crash into some people before getting back on track.

"Like hell I'd ever walk with you, you fucking parasite!" I say as we continue running through the crowds and even on the roads. "Get back here so I can strangle you!" He seems to be running faster until he turns the corner into a dead end alley. I approach him threateningly as I glare at him. "First you make me have a lousy day because you show up this morning and then piss me off throughout the whole day. Now, you want to walk home together as if we're buddies?"

"Shizu-chan's this mad because I hit you in the head with a basketball?" He asks as he backs away from me. He's holding onto something in his jacket pocket. I don't know if it's one of his knives or something else. If it was a knife, he would have brought it out already.

"No, I'm this mad because you're always causing me trouble and I'm sick and tired of it. Today was the worst day I've ever had because you kept playing pranks on me all morning, then you made me get in trouble so I had to stay after class and speak with the damn teacher, and not to mention that you freaking made me toss my lunch at you so I had nothing to eat for lunch."

"It's your fault you have that awful temper."

"I may have this temper but it's a hundred times worse when you're around. You make me hate myself much more than when you're not around." I pause before letting my frustration finally give way. "Just get out of my life, you damn louse." I say icily before turning away from me and leaving him there in the alley. Before leaving I caught a glimpse of how Izaya looked after I said what I had said. I didn't expect him to be so heartbroken and hurt; he looked like he was on the verge of tears. I didn't even know that was possible. I quickly shake the memory away as I walk off, heading home to try and forget everything that happened today, especially all the confusing feelings I felt not too long ago.

When I get home Kasuka tells me that his friends cancelled the plans they had made since one of his friends had gotten sick.

"Is something wrong?" Kasuka asks simply.

"Why…does it look like something is wrong with me?"

"I didn't ask if something was wrong with you in particular; I asked if anything was wrong generally speaking."

"What the fuck is the difference?" I ask in irritation.

"Well, did something bad happen? Let's put it that way." Kasuka says dully.

"No…nothing…nothing happened…"

"Did something happen with Izaya-kun?" Kasuka asks as he looks at me knowingly. I can't really hide anything from Kasuka since he knows a lot about what happens with me. And he's been really suspicious about my relationship with that maggot for a while now…

"That damn flea just pissed me off like usual. Don't worry about it." I say as I head upstairs to my bedroom. Kasuka seemed a bit unconvinced when I gave him that answer but I rather just leave it at that. I lie in my bed and try to sleep off the day, but it's difficult to forget that crying face. Damn it's killing me…If I could just…kiss the tears away…No, fuck no. That's the last thing I'd do; he and I hate each other. But then why was he so hurt by what I said? I always tell him to leave me alone, to go die, or to fall into the nearest garbage can where he belongs. Why was he so sensitive today? Why would he be so sensitive at all? He's the flea!

Geez…I'm sorry…

**End of Flashback**

After telling him everything that happened that day and why I had blown up at him the way I did he looks at me in disbelief before trying to stab me in the face. I catch the blade of course, but it sure was close. I crush his hand slightly to make him release the knife before holding onto him in a strong embrace.

"You made me cry just because you were pissed at me for making you horny! I fucking hate you! Let go of me!" He struggles in my grip but I don't let him go. I know he's gonna try and hurt me anyway possible. And I was right. Though I'm holding onto his wrists, I didn't secure his legs. He hits me in the groin with his knee, but I still hold onto his wrists. "Let go of me! Let go!" I sigh as I try to compose myself so I don't do anything hasty. I casually tie his hood so it's covering his face and then carry him on my back. His voice is muffled by the fact that it's covered so I can't really hear what he's yelling. I walk through the streets of Ikebukuro until I manage to find what I'm looking for. I pick the flea up and carefully place him on a traffic sign, making him hang on it; he's pretty much just struggling to get loose at this point. People ignore us, heck they stay away, far away from us. "Where are you?! I can't see anything, you damn brute! Get me down from wherever I am, you baboon!"

"Listen, will you?!" I shout at him angrily. "I know what I did was wrong, but I'm trying to make up for it, you damn louse."

"You can make up for it by heading into the middle of the street and getting run over by a truck!" Izaya says as he unties his hood from his face and glares at me.

"I get it. You're mad."

"I'm past mad! I'm fucking furious!" He struggles more, but still doesn't get loose. He continues to slander and degrade me, making me feel completely guilty and heartbroken since he's saying some pretty nasty things, bad nasty, not perverted nasty. I plan to wait until he's settled down to talk to him so I sit down on the sidewalk and watch him wiggle and throw a tantrum.

A couple hours later he's pretty tired, doesn't have the strength to even continue move his arms so I stand up after picking up some change people gave me (probably thought I was poor) and look at Izaya hanging there.

"Are you done?"

"Yes, please just get me down now…" Izaya asks as he sounds out of breath. I release him from the sign and he falls flat on his face. "Thank you…" He says simply as his face gets to know the pavement on an entirely new level.

"Are you gonna get up?"

"No, I like being on the ground, just leave me alone for a while…" He says, his face still firmly planted there on the concrete. People passing by toss some quarters at him. One hits his head, which receives a soft "ow" from the flea.

"Look, I think we both have had enough of this crap." I say as I put my hand on his head, stroking his head affectionately. People are still staring, but I don't mind. "I'm sorry okay? I'm really sorry." Izaya groans a bit before muttering something that I couldn't hear. "What?"

"I said…I hate you." I pet his head and pick him up off the concrete. He dusts himself off before his cat ears twitch uncomfortably. As if by some unknown force, I try to comfort him by pressing my face close to his and licking his cheek once. He pushes me away and rubs off my saliva from his cheek. Without a word, he walks off, looking still kind of upset. I follow after him and try to persuade him to forgive me along the way to his apartment. He continues to ignore me all the while.

When we finally make it to his apartment he prevents me from going inside. He tells me to stay out in the hallway and freeze to death. Of course even if I'm an obedient dog, I'm not following that order. He closes the door and locks it so I don't get in, but I think he doesn't take into account that I can just tear the door off its hinges, but oddly enough I don't even try. I sit on the floor like a good dog and wait…

**Izaya's POV**

I think he's still outside. I'm really depressed about what just happened between the two of us. I mean, the story he told…his confession…the way he seems to affectionately comfort me. I really want to stay true to my plan and make him suffer for all that he's done. Now that I know that he likes me, not liking him back will be revenge enough. Now that he's a dog he's needier and longs for attention and love, so the revenge will surely work. But…Shizu-chan is finally treating me kindly and every time I don't respond the way he wants me to or refuse to give into my feelings, he seems distraught and it hurts me.

I can hear whining through the door. I know he's still out there but I can't bring myself to let him inside, not after knowing the stupid reason why he hurt me so viciously that day. But then again he actually confessed that he's sexually attracted towards me. He likes me…There are things in this world that people tend try and restrain themselves from…for one there's cake (just to give an example), then there's lust and greed (probably sinful things or things which are immoral), but for me…it's Shizu-chan. I suppose in hindsight I have no right to torment him since I've already made his life hell. I made him lose his job, made get in trouble a lot in high school, continued to pester and toy with him in recent years, and caused a lot of stress…

I sit on my couch and rub my temples. It's frustrating…really it is…

"I'll have to sleep on it…I'll…I'll decide in the morning." I whisper to myself.

"Alright I'll be out here!" Shizu-chan says dully. I'm taken aback by his voice since I forgot that he has keen senses, including his sense of hearing.

I head off to my bedroom after staring at my front door one last time. I change into my pajamas and head into bed, covering my entire body (including my face). I start purring as I start to drift off to sleep. My purring might also be because of me thinking about Shizu-chan holding me in his strong arms like last night. Yes, I was quite aware of him holding me. It felt so serene and comforting to feel him against me. I want to be able to feel like that again…

The next morning I wake up in a daze, but then remember yesterday's drama. I sigh as I uncover myself and toss the sheets to the side. I head over to my front door, carefully pressing my ear to the door to hear any indication that Shizu-chan still might be out there. And wouldn't you know it, I hear snoring. Well, I did say I'd have a decision by this morning. Of course, Shizu-chan just _had_ to hear me say that.

I open the door and head outside in my robe since I didn't even bother to put on a shirt or pants. I kneel next to the sleeping beast and play with his dog ears. I then run my fingers through his blonde locks and sigh. I look at his tail, which seems to be wagging happily because of me touching him and feel distraught. I can't let him off that easily. I want to have him beg for my affection and love.

"Wake up, protozoan." I say as I shake him a bit. God, it's so cold out here in the hallway; I don't know how he can stand it. "Shizu-chan, Shizu-chan!" He's drooling now which makes him look both extremely stupid and cute.

"Ngh, five more minutes Mom…" He mutters in his sleep.

"You temperamental, overgrown baboon, I'm not your mother now get up." He stirs a bit before opening his eyes. "You're too persistent for your own good. Why would you stay out here in the freezing cold like this?"

"I've seen it in romantic movies." Shizu-chan answers dully as he shrugs. "Are you still mad at me?" He asks as he gets up off the ground and stares at me for a moment.

"No…" I say reluctantly. "I've calmed down." His tail portrays his happiness. He fixes his sunglasses on the brim of his noise and coughs nervously. "Well, how about we put all of that behind us and just continue to be 'friends'?" I say a bit quickly. He seems unsatisfied by this suggestion, which surprises me (he always does). "I have to get ready for a meeting I have today so…" He grabs onto my hand and looks at me with a stern expression on his face.

"I don't want to leave it at that."

"Well, where do you want to leave it at? Because right now, you're making me quite impatient, so much so that I'd like to leave 'it'—whatever that it may be—in the middle of a busy highway." I say with frustration as I try to get loose from his grip. He stays true to his title as "strongest man in Ikebukuro" and holds onto my wrists without any intention of letting me go. Thick-headed gorilla.

"I want to leave it at this." He says before leaning in and kissing my lips softly, so softly that I couldn't tell if this was really Shizu-chan who was kissing me. He doesn't pull away yet; I'm assuming he won't until I begin to kiss him back. I have to resist though. I can't let him off that easy. He then wraps his arm (the one not holding onto my wrists) around my waist and pulls our bodies closer. I feel really lightheaded by this point and I just want him to let go. I try to get my hands free since he's only holding them with one hand, but to no avail. Suddenly I feel his tongue lightly travel against my lips in an effort to persuade me to open my mouth. After a couple soft licks he pries my mouth himself with his tongue. Well, the tongue is just a muscle…a very strong muscle and since it's Shizu-chan I suppose it's even stronger. At this point, I'm feeling uncomfortable (seeing as I'm still quite mad at him because of yesterday) so I bite his bottom lip.

He backs off and rubs his sore lip before glaring at me.

The fur on my tail and ears sticks up in annoyance as he glares at me. He understands these signs I suppose, and leaves me be.

"Look, I just want to be left alone…" He reaches for my hand again, but I dodge him. I glare at him before heading inside. I run my fingers through my hair and try to calm down. It's nothing to be upset over…but I can't do this…Perhaps this wouldn't work after all…we're not exactly perfect for each other. I'm sure if we were in a relationship, it would go sour in a week or two. I hear a faint knock at the door. It's soft, but I know it's Shizu-chan. "Go away I don't want to see you, Shizu-chan!" I say angrily. His persistence is annoying at a moment like this. It hurts to do this, but it also hurts to be with him…My brain is telling me to take revenge, but my heart is telling me that my brain needs to be run over by an airplane…

* * *

A/N: If there are any mistakes, forgive me. Was it Horrible? Stupid? Nice? Wonderful? Please let me know...the flashbacks were my hardest mountain I had to climb. Please review!


	14. Cupids

I'm terribly sorry I didn't update sooner. Thanksgiving went smoothly :3 Made it through without burning the house down! My mother directed me while I cooked, it was awesome. Anyway, I'm so very happy, elated is more the word, that this story has made more than 100 reviews :D THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU! So...I'm thinking of doing something special. Any requests? I'd love to hear them :D PM me if you do have requests or review!~ Thanks again! Oh and someone requested before to include more Erika...this is for you mystery reviewer! xD I try to follow through with requests, I don't know if this is what you wanted, but it's what I was satisfied with so YAY! I too think highly of Erika ;3 Please review~

**Warnings**: Possible OOC

* * *

**Shizuo's POV**

Sometimes things are taken from you when you least expect it. I got to taste the sweet feeling of someone's love for a while…but it was taken away just like that because of my stupid pride, because I didn't want to face the fact that I was and still am in love with Izaya. In love? I mean…that I like him…I sit in the hallway for a couple more minutes before heading off. He doesn't seem to want to talk…or even see me since he said so. I never knew such words could sting so much. I mean, we've fought for so many years, but only now do these hurtful words sting because I'm in love with him. I…I don't want to fight anymore. I'll admit it now…I love him…

I head downstairs and find myself looking up at the window where Izaya's probably looking from right about now. Unsurprisingly, there he is, looking out the window curiously. Our eyes meet for a moment before he closes the curtains. I sigh. Just like that, I've lost the love of someone I've been longing for since high school. I'm not giving up of course. I'm a stubborn guy and I know that Izaya will come around sooner or later. I just…I just wish it was sooner rather than later. It's painful; this rejection. I now know how Izaya felt when I rejected him not too long ago. It fucking sucks.

When I finally get home I collapse on my couch and cover my face with a pillow. The outside world isn't important to me right now. Everything else is dissolving around me. There's only the faint memory of his scent, his bright brown-red eyes, the feel of his velvet black hair; the kiss…soft and sweet even if he doesn't eat any sweet things. I have the wound on my lip that'll remind me for a while. I won't bother to see him for a while. I think I should leave him be, let him cool down.

Why is that even though I realized that I'm in love with Izaya, I still want to throw a damn vending machine at him?

**Izaya's POV**

"Gah…I can't get anything done like this…" I say as I make a mess of my paperwork I have on my desk. I hit my head against my desk and sigh as I remember the look on Shizu-chan's face when I had seen him from my window minutes ago. Why did he have to look at me like that? He makes me feel like I just kicked a puppy…which is an activity I'd never want to take part in despite my mischievous, devious nature. Suddenly my phone rings so I answer it unemotionally. "Hello…Izaya Orihara puppy kicker speaking…" I say unhappily.

"Izaya-kun? Are you alright?"

"Hello Shinra…can you call me when I'm in a better mood, maybe next month…" I say dully.

"Um…did something happen?"

"Yeah…everything…" I say as I run my fingers through my hair.

"Um…well…did you tell Shizuo about the antidote?" I recompose myself as I hear the word "antidote." I immediately start thinking about how things are probably going to get back to the way they were before…I mean…all this time Shizu-chan was probably just being affectionate to me because of his doggish nature. Even if he did confess to me not too long ago, he's probably gonna be pissed because I had yelled at him. My ears flatten against my head and then I look over to find the dog bone I had bought Shizu-chan laying in the corner of the room. "He told me that he doesn't mind staying like this for a while longer." I lie as I head over to the bone.

"Really? Um…are you sure?"

"Yeah of course. He said he's gotten used to it. Besides, he and I have decided that it'll be helpful for you if we continue with this experiment."

"Wow…well…if you two say so…If you guys change your minds, call me up. I'd be more than happy to change you to back." Shinra says before saying goodbye and hanging up. Of course Shizu-chan will be angry with me if he does find out that I decided something like this for him, but I'm hoping that he won't. For now I will remain far away from Shizu-chan until I'm emotionally prepared.

* * *

_**One Week Later**_

**Celty's POV**

It's been quiet around Ikebukuro, which bothers me more than when it's completely chaotic. Right now, I'm riding over to Izaya's place, but this time I'm not riding over to his place because of a job. I caught notice of Shizuo acting really strange this past week. He usually talks to me pretty openly about what's bothering him, but this time he's refused to discuss anything. Tom's noticed it too. And a dead giveaway is the fact that his tail hasn't wagged since he last visited Izaya. Shinra says that Izaya hasn't visited Ikebukuro in a week and hasn't called so we're plenty worried about him too. His phone goes to voice mail every time we call so that's unsettling to say the least. I've seen movies with these sorts of scenarios…they don't end well.

I look up at the window of where I assume is Izaya's apartment before getting off my motorcycle and heading inside. I take the elevator even though I know that the stairs is a healthier option. Though I don't think I can be "unhealthy" considering what I am. It's just a thought. I suddenly notice how dire the situation really is as I approach Izaya's door. There's a lot of junk outside of it and there are some, what looks like, nicks on the door. I knock twice before trying to jiggle the door open. Surprisingly, it opens without much effort. It was unlocked apparently. I travel through what seems to be a lot of junk and paperwork. After swimming through, I find Izaya at his desk, sleeping peacefully.

I shake him a bit, hoping to god it isn't like one of those horror movies where the guy in the chair (once you move him) is found to be dead already. I shutter before shaking him again a little more fiercely. That does the trick. He stretches a little before rubbing his eyes. A post-it paper is stuck to his cheek, but he doesn't seem to notice. He looks like a wreck. His hair is messy and he has marks under his eyes.

"Celty?" He says as he yawns. "What are you doing here?"

[Assessing how bad the situation is. Unfortunately it's worse than I thought. Why the heck is everything messy in here?]

"Ne…I told Namie to take a vacation for two weeks…I'm not in the mood to be bothered…" I take the post-it off his face and find that his cheek is covered in writing. It's backwards so I can't read it as easily.

[Why is the door so messed up?]

"Ah…I bought a piano. The door was a bit small so the piano nicked it when it was forced in."

[Huh? Why did you buy a piano?]

"I don't know; out of impulse. Want to hear me play 'Set Fire to the Rain' by Adele? I've gotten pretty good at it."

[No…well…maybe later…right now I want to know why things have gotten so out of hand.]

"You know once you think about it, setting fire to the rain is impossible. It's poetic though, don't you think?"

[Izaya!] I type angrily. [This isn't time for nonsense! Shizuo's in the same depressing state as you for some reason! What the heck happened! I thought you guys were finally getting along?!]

"We were…" Izaya says as he heads over to the piano in the corner of the room. He plays a happy melody for a moment. "Until everything went downhill." Suddenly the melody turns depressing and dramatic. I head over to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

[Mind telling me what exactly happened?]

"Shizu-chan confessed to me a week ago…" He pauses. "But I rejected him…I've been feeling guilty ever since…and what's even worse…is that he's been sending me stuff!" He says as he points to the boxes of stuff in the doorway. "He's sent me flowers and cards…boxes of chocolates…I would offer you some if I had any left…In my state of sadness I indulged in them the moment I received them…He's also slipped letters under my door…and sent me cat toys and catnip…"

I suddenly spot a brush on the floor which I look at for a moment. It's a grooming brush for cats, but I suppose this will work. His hair is giving me the willies. I begin brushing his hair as he lays his head on the piano keys. He sighs as he purrs while I brush him. I sit next to him and continue brushing his hair until it's nice and neat.

"I haven't been able to confront him since then…"

[I thought you said you liked him?]

"I do…I didn't want to accept him that easily since he didn't accept my confession. So, I wanted him to repay me for all the emotional turmoil I've suffered…" He explains gloomily. Grooming Izaya proves to be too much fun…I give him the mirror and show him my progress. He glares at me before placing the mirror on the piano gently. "Get this bow out of my hair." He says sternly. "Anyway…unfortunately, I'm feeling even more guilty because he's paid his debt a long time ago…probably around the time he sent me that big stuffed bear." He points to said bear before sighing. "Shizu-chan knows absolutely nothing about my interests…probably just got all his information from some second-rate romantic-comedy movie he has lying around in his dump of a home."

[At least he's trying.]

"I know…it's a sweet gesture, but it makes me even guiltier. That's why I put all the stuff in boxes." Izaya says as he sighs again. I get done grooming him and pat his head thoughtfully, trying to cheer him up or comfort him.

[I think you should really try talking to him. I know you guys have always had trouble getting along even for two minutes, but it's clear to a lot of people now that you guys really like each other.]

"Yeah…even my mailman has gotten suspicious lately and asked me if I was going on a 'hot date' with that 'handsome bartender'. It was awkward to say the least especially since he's a guy. Well, I mean when you squint he does have some feminine features like his legs are a bit slim and he's kind of curvy…"

[Izaya…]

"Oh right, sorry." Izaya says as he nods. "Well…I suppose I should just give in…I'm not hesitating because I'm still wanting him to suffer…it's just I'm really nervous about talking with him."

[Well, let me take you to him. I bet he'll be just as nervous, so you don't have to worry. Besides, he's probably missing you a lot.]

"Fine…" He says before getting up. "If this little plan of yours fails, I'm holding you responsible. So, that means you'll have to buy me a week's worth of fatty tuna." I sigh. What have I gotten myself into?

**Shizuo's POV**

It's been a week since I've seen Izaya. I know he said he wanted to be alone, but a week's kind of pushing it. I mean, I bought him a bunch of stuff and sent him a lot of letters and whatnot to make up for that whole letter fiasco and he still hasn't gotten back to me. Tom has noticed that I haven't been in the best of moods lately. I threw a guy twenty feet in the air for bumping shoulders with me accidently. And then when some client gave us the wrong amount of money (by three hundred yen) I almost broke his neck. He had the money, but he said he miscounted. Unfortunately, he was telling the truth and I just went ballistic on him for the equivalent of three U.S. dollars. I'm pretty sure that guy's life is worth a lot more than that even if he is sort of a scumbag.

"Shizuo…is something wrong?"

"No." I say dully.

"Well, you've been acting more violent than usual."

"I hate violence." I growl under my breath.

"Yeah…well, for a guy who hates violence you sure know how to cause a lot of damage…to people and property…"

"That bench was crooked. It was driving me crazy." I say with irritation.

"It was supposed to be crooked. It was public art." Tom explains calmly.

"Well, the artist should have made 'public art' that wasn't crooked."

"Shizuo…you really need to try to relax…maybe you should go to someplace where there's a nice hot spring resort." There are some things that shouldn't be said around me, one is 'hot spring' because now I'm being flooded with a bunch of naughty thoughts about Izaya and me 'enjoying' a hot spring together. My face starts to get hot and my heart rate speeds up. "Are you okay, Shizuo? You look like you have a fever."

"I-it's nothing!" I say a bit louder than I should. We fall silent for a moment before my ears prick up. "Tom, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, fire away." He says as he drinks his coffee.

"Let's say, hypothetically speaking, there's this guy who likes someone…and he confessed, but the other person says that they just want to stay friends…"

"Does this have anything to do with that information broker, Izaya Orihara?" Tom asks as he casually takes another sip of his coffee.

"What!? NO!" He looks at me calmly. "Yes…"

"You confessed to him?"

"What?! NO!" He looks at me again. "Yes…How did you know…?"

"Well, when someone tells me hypothetical stories I can already tell it's about them. So…Tell me what happened."

"You don't mind…?"

"Nah, I'd rather help you out than keep seeing you explode every time someone looks at you funny." Tom says with a smile. "Of course, I'm also willing to help you out since we're friends. Friends help each other out."

"Thanks Tom." He nods and tells me to begin my little story. I tell him about everything that had happened with the letter first and then the incident that happened recently with me confessing. He was basically just absorbing everything and nodding occasionally or voicing his opinion at times when I asked him questions. The whole thing went rather smoothly. After I was done I exhaled and tried to relax and wait for Tom to give me advice.

"Hmm, you've really messed things up." Tom says as he nods.

"Thanks for telling me so…" I say downheartedly. He waves his hands around nervously, trying to tell me that it isn't as bad as it seems and that it isn't entirely my fault.

"Seems like he's still pissed about what had happened a long time ago. And sending gifts might have got you some 'points' but it's not going to fix the mistakes you made. I think you should go back over to his place and talk to him and then pour out your feelings. I bet it'll surely warm his heart."

"What heart? That flea is a heartless parasite that feeds off of negative energy." I say as I hit my head on the table.

"And that's exactly why he doesn't want to go out with you." Tom points out as he takes another long sip of his coffee. "You have to be a little more compassionate and considerate. I know pouring out your feelings is cheesy, but since he seems to be emotional over the bad stuff, he might become sensitive and emotional over to good stuff you have to say."

"I'm afraid my life might turn into some American Disney movie." I say in irritation.

"Well, would you rather it be a Disney movie or a Shakespeare play, like Romeo and Juliet where they both die at the end?"

"Considering it's me and Izaya, even if it was a Disney movie, we'd probably be the first Disney movie where we'd both kill each other at the end."

"Glad you're ever the optimist, Shizuo." Tom says sarcastically. "Oh, but here's your chance to make things right." He says as he points over to Celty who's on her motorcycle with someone riding behind her. I can tell right away that it's Izaya even if he's got a helmet on. Celty parks her motorcycle before practically having to drag Izaya this way. When my eyes meet his, he immediately hides behind Celty, peeking his head out just a little before wiggling his ears a bit. Damn he's really cute…

**Izaya's POV**

I'm not emotionally ready to meet up with him just yet…I'm pretty sure Celty's annoyed with me since I'm clinging onto her pretty tightly, but I can't face him. Even the sight of him makes me uneasy.

[Come on, you can do this.]

"Easy for you to say." I say icily. "Well no, you didn't technically 'say' that but…ow! Hey!" I say as she pinches my cat ear and drags me towards the beast sitting with his master at the table. Celty exchanges a greeting with the two for a second before thrusting me towards Shizu-chan. I freeze up in front of him for a moment before recomposing myself and saying hello.

"Hey…" Shizu-chan says nervously. Tom looks from me to Shizu-chan and looks as if he's configured a conclusion before getting up and announcing that Shizu-chan can take a break because he's off to have a short meeting with a client. "Tom, wait!" Shizu-chan says as he stands up. Tom looks at him with a smile before saying to stay. Of course, being such an obedient hound, Shizu-chan sits down reluctantly and sighs.

Celty does something similar with me. By similar I mean she forces me to sit in the chair across from Shizu-chan and basically "tells" me that if I don't kiss and make up with Shizu-chan that she'll have Shinra surgically remove something very important to me. At first I thought she was talking about my brain, but then I deducted that it was something of much different importance.

She heads back to her motorcycle and glances at me once more (a bit sternly) before driving off, the sound of a horse braying filling the streets.

"She sure knows how to make a dramatic exit." I say as I roll my eyes. I look over across Shizu-chan who's looking under the table for some reason. I suddenly get freaked out and assume he's doing something perverted. I kick his shin a bit aggressively, which immediately makes him mad, which I knew it would.

"Why the heck did you do that!?"

"Ne…I thought you were…" I think about the answer in my head and deem it as unreasonable. "Never mind…sorry…"

"I was looking at your slippers." He points at my bunny slippers and glares at me.

"My sister's gave them to me."

"It's funny; you're sister's seem to be your excuse for everything that's embarrassing. The clips in your hair, the slippers, the bow on your tail; what's next?"

"Shut up, my sister's really did give me all that." I say defensively. "I don't make any of that my hobby." I add as I cross my arms. "Look, I'm only here because Celty dragged me. She said you were depressed without me."

"I was not." He says angrily.

"Well, why the heck did you send me all that stuff for then?"

"I was trying to make up for all the crap I did before."

"And you thought that would work?"

"I _hoped_ it would…" He says a bit downheartedly. I frown as I see his saddened expression and sigh. "Listen, I know I can't do anything to make up for the whole letter incident…and the whole rejecting you incident…but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to heal those wounds…because I know you're just as tired of being alone like me…" My ears twitch a bit before flattening to my head. He smiles a bit while wagging his tail. "You know, when I'm with you I just feel a lot happier even if you cause a lot of bad shit to happen. I mean, at times I'd actually want to see you around 'bukuro because it just makes my day feel a little more purposeful."

"I've enjoyed our little chases too, I suppose." I say as my tail sways happily. "No one's as fun to play with and as dumb as my Shizu-chan." I purr happily. He blushes, probably because he heard the "my Shizu-chan" part.

"Yeah, well no one's as annoying and fun to throw things at as you flea."

"Aww, not gonna say 'my Izaya'?" I egg him as I smile and twitch my ears playfully.

"Not a chance." He says as he flips my hood onto my head and covers my eyes with it. "So…can you forgive me?" I rub my chin a bit, irritating him as always. "It's either you forgive me or I'm stuffing you inside that mailbox over there." He says as he points to said mailbox. I laugh a bit nervously.

"Alright, alright. I forgive you." He smiles.

"Good." He says before leaning over the table and kissing me on the lips. I don't remember agreeing to doing this, but I'm not gonna argue since he's a really good kisser. Besides, I'm not gonna keep fighting these feelings anymore. I suppose he's repaid his debt. He pulls away and then kisses my forehead before sitting back down in his chair. "Can we just give it a try?" Just this once…I won't fight, I won't argue…I nod with a smile as he takes my hand to hold it in his.

Suddenly, the moment is killed in a flash as we notice someone taking pictures. No doubt if it's a reporter it'll be tomorrow's cover story. I can just imagine the title; "Ikebukuro's Monster Couple Revealed" or "Strongest Man of Ikebukuro Has Unexpected Lover". It practically writes itself. Fortunately (or unfortunately) it's just Erika, one of Dota-chin's weird otaku friends.

"What the hell?"

"It's your fault for kissing me in public, protozoan." I say as I shake my head.

"I knew you guys were dating! Now I have proof!" Erika proclaims to the heavens. That girl needs to see someone about her strange obsessions.

"Jeez, she's making it seem like she found proof that Bigfoot exists." Shizu-chan says as he looks at her with an annoyed expression. "I mean, sure, it'd be more believable for Bigfoot to exist than us getting together, but she doesn't have to rub it in."

"You don't either." I say icily.

"Erika, what are you doing?" Dota-chin asks as he approaches us casually, his hands in his pockets. "Oh, hey guys…you having lunch together or something…?"

"They were kissing!" Erika informs Dota-chin happily as she practically crushes the camera with her energetic squeeze. If that camera was a person, I swear it'd be suffocating. "I have a picture of it! PROOF. P-R-O-O-F."

"Is that how you spell 'proof'? I thought it had two f's." Shizu-chan says dully as he looks at me curiously. I facepalm myself as I sigh. Of course Shizu-chan has never been the sharpest tool in the shed. Sometimes he amazes me with his short, out-of-the-blue moments of brilliance, but that moment isn't this one. He's adorable though.

"Sorry if Erika was bothering you guys." Dota-chin apologizes nervously.

"It's alright; no harm done." I say simply. That girl has a screw loose I'm sure. Stalking people on the street when they're trying to engage in intimate actions isn't something a normal person would do. Only fanatics do that. Well, fanatics, and that one weird neighbor I have who watches people making out with his binoculars. Though I have some I don't engage in such things. _Observing_ people is entirely different from _stalking_ them. "But in the future I think you should have tabs on that girl. She might be a public menace."

"Takes one to know one." Shizu-chan whispers whimsically before snickering. I hit his sore shin again with a smirk. He growls at me, his dog ears erect and his tail frizzed a bit. "Damn flea." He growls under his breath.

"Well, we better get going." I say as I pet Shizu-chan on the head. "Shizu-chan and I have some unresolved business to attend to." Shizu-chan looks at me curiously.

"I thought we just resolved—OW! What the fuck!?" He says as step on his foot. "IZAAAAYAAA." He says angrily as he gets up and picks up the table we were sitting on. I smile as I wave goodbye to the two spectators before running off with Shizu-chan on my heels. This is what we're used to and it's plenty fun. It's not like we're fighting now because we hate each other. It's just that some things never change.

**Erika's POV**

Now I've seen everything. I think it's every fangirl's dream to have their OTP to get together and now that mine has, I can die happy, but I'm not ready to die right now that's for sure. After making necessary, totally not obsessive copies of the picture I took of Shizuo-kun and Iza-kun kissing, I show the picture to anyone with working eyeballs. If my life were a movie, this would be the part in it where I start singing because I'm so darn happy. I think I might have sparkles in my eyes!

"Give me that." Kadota says as he snatches one of my copies. He looks at it for a moment before looking disgusted and surprised. It happens to almost everyone who hasn't had the wonderful opportunity to experience boy's love before. Soon, the inexperience become full-blown fanatics until at one point they find themselves not only having breakfast in the morning, but also a healthy, moderate proportion of boy's love mangas. "Look, Erika…I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for this…"

"I'm all ears to your 'perfectly logical explanation' Dota-chin."

"Stop calling me that." He says before thinking about an explanation.

"I think Kadota just wants to be like that American fictional character 'Big Brother' from that one book." Walker says before continuing. "He's trying to conceal the truth and rewrite history! He's trying to come up with a reason to make us believe that _this_ didn't happen." He holds up a different copy of the same picture in front of Dota-chin's face.

"Get that out of my face." Dota-chin says as he looks away. "I'm not trying to 'conceal the truth' or make you guys believe it didn't happen…I only wish it hadn't. Before I caught up with you, I saw it Erika so I know it really did happen even without the damn picture. I just can't believe it."

"The two hottest guys in Ikebukuro becoming a couple? I can believe it!" I say happily.

"Of course you do, since you're into that stuff." Kadota says. "And thanks for excluding us out of the loop of 'hottest guy' contest."

"Just saying. I mean I have a list. You guys are probably in the high twenty or high thirty."

"If those two's relationship ends in disaster this city's gonna fall to ruins…" Dota-chin says. "We'll have vending machines and traffic signs as our tombstones." This isn't the end of the world as we know it, this is the beginning of a new world that we fangirls have been waiting for. Shizuo and Izaya are together! That means love really isn't dead if Ikebukuro's worst enemies can fall in love with _each other_. What a glorious day this is, and to think it's in a wonderful and romantic season. I mean, it's almost Christmas time!

**Celty's POV**

I don't think I've ever seen them happier. They're fighting, sure, but they seem pretty content. Izaya's back to his cheerful, annoying self and Shizuo's back to his normal violent nature instead of extremely violent and depressed state. Shizuo may be half dog right now, but even before this incident happened, he was still the kind of person who enjoyed having someone's company. He hates it that his strength and temper get in the way of interpersonal relationships. I'm pretty sure he's been longing for a lifetime partner as well. And despite all that Izaya's done to Shizuo, he's noticed that Izaya is the only person who seems to look for him and isn't afraid. I have to be honest that even if my body is incapable of dying, I'm always kind of surprised by how much damage Shizuo can do. I'm not afraid, but I still like to steer clear of him whenever he's on a rampage.

I get back home and find Shinra sitting on the couch trying to pet Blackstorm. He's not having any luck though since Storm doesn't like him very much and so he continues to hiss and lift his body up menacingly.

"Ah, you're back. So how did things go?" Shinra says as he notices me.

[Pretty good.] I answer him happily. [I don't think they'll ever stop their little chases…but I guess couples have their own ways of showing their affection…]

"Heh, 'couples'?" I nod before searching my phone for a picture I took before driving off. "They kissed in public like that? How peculiar, especially since it was Shizuo who took the initiative. I was betting on Izaya…" Shinra sighs before smiling. "Remind me to pay Simon the next time I see him…"

[You made a bet with Simon?]

"I would have made a bet with Kadota but he didn't want to. He said he wasn't interested in their love life. Normally I don't like to make bets, but I thought it'd be kind of fun…Are you sure Izaya wasn't the one who kissed Shizuo first?"

[I'm positive.]

"Darn…I was really looking forward to winning a thousand six hundred and forty-eight yen…" Shinra says downheartedly. "Well, there's always next time." I stay still for a moment. He knows perfectly well that I'm glaring at him. "I chose betting this way rather than playing poker at least. You know how bad I am at poker. You on the other hand…" I hit the back of his head. "Right, right sorry…Well, now that those two are on better terms I suppose I'll be seeing them less often. I mean I'm hoping they'll still come and visit but I'm guessing visiting because of cuts and bruises will be a thing of the past."

A thing of the past…seems too good to be true.

* * *

A/N: It's right around the time of the year where I get really festive. I really wanted to have this story sort of flow into Christmas time since it's cute to me. I hope you guys are okay with that. Anyway, please review. I tried my best to make it funny yet sweet. Anyway, please tell me how I did. THANK YOU!


	15. Being a Couple Means

It's Finals Week next week and this week was pretty tough, so sorry I didn't update according to my previous schedule. Thanks for all of those still reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting and such. I'm thinking about 2-3 more chapters. And sorry if this chapter is short. It just turned out that way. Please review!~

* * *

**Shizuo's POV**

After chasing the flea almost half-way across the city, I catch up to him at the park. His ears twitch happily before he walks over to the swings. He looks out of place in a playground like this, but I'm sure he doesn't really care. I walk over to him before spotting something in his hands. He twirls a branch he found close-by in his hand and tosses it. I chase after it like usual and bring it back to him in my mouth. He pets me before tossing it a few more time. Tossing a branch and fetching it every time it's thrown seems boring, but I don't get tired of it. I jump on the swing next to him after he's done playing with me and sigh as I notice it's getting late.

"Shizu-chan do you mind being like this?" Izaya suddenly asks as he swings himself a little.

"Not really…I mean we're really too old for playing on the playground but I guess I don't mind as long as no one we know sees us."

"I don't mean that protozoan. I meant do you mind being like this." He asks as he pulls his ears slightly.

"I don't know. I guess at first I was really upset about it, but now I'm getting a little used to it." I answer simply. "I mean, I don't want to stay like this forever though."

"Yeah…I see what you mean." He says sadly.

"Why? Are you thinking of staying like this the rest of your life?"

"Well, I'm really quite adorable like this, wouldn't you agree?" He says happily. I look at him with a dull expression before grabbing onto the swing's chain and toss him off. He falls to the sand under our feet and stays there for a moment before groaning.

"What was that?"

"I said, that you're just upset because you're an ugly Neanderthal and I'm a beautiful god."

"You're sister's told me that you think I'm handsome." I say with a smirk. "That you like my eyes and my soft hair." I'm not gonna repeat that whole butt confession…

"What!? They told you that?!" He looks away from me and growls. "They're so dead."

"Calm down, I think the same stuff about you." I say honestly. His eyes prick up and his cheeks turn red. "I mean, the only thing you have going for you is your looks really since you're a psychopath and you're personality is terrible." His ears flatten against his head and his blush disappears. I guess he was right, I am sort of a high school bully, but I don't care since bullying him means I get to see him like this. I pet his head and sit on the sand with him. "I was kidding."

"Brute." He says as he pouts. "So what _do_ you like about me?"

"I like your eyes mostly." I say nervously as I scratch the back of my head. I pet his head. He rubs his face against my hand and purrs affectionately. He suddenly makes a sort of mew noise. I smile and kiss his forehead. "When we were in high school…you remember how you used to sleep on the top of the roof?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Shinra and Kadota used to want to wake you up so we could all head back together, but I always told them I'd do it myself. But…I never wanted to wake you up since you looked really peaceful. Sometimes I'd lie next to you and sleep there too. That's what I liked most..." He suddenly pushes me and climbs on top of me before lying on me happily and purring. Dumb cat…I place my hand on top of his head and run my fingers through his hair. It's gotten dark really fast. I look up at the moon and feel like howling, but I don't since I know Izaya will tease me about it. "It's getting cold…" I say as I get up and let him sit in my lap. He places his head under my chin and brushes against me happily. "Do you have to purr so loud?"

"Do you have to be an idiot all the time?" He asks slyly. "I'm happy, so I purr."

"Well, I'm happy too, but I don't make that annoying sound that comes from who knows where."

"Hmm…where _does_ it come from?" Izaya asks himself as he presses his ear against his chest. I smile as I watch him try and find where the noise is coming from. I twitch my ears before pressing my ear to his chest. I suddenly hear a giggle escape Izaya's mouth as I move my head curiously around his body. "Stop it protozoan! I'm…" He laughs a little before pushing me away. He ears twitch in irritation.

"Ah, you're ticklish?" I ask with a smirk.

"No…" He says before scooting away from me. I wag my tail happily as scoots farther away from me. The smirk doesn't leave my face. "Shizu-chan…stop looking at me like that."

"Hmm, what are you talking about flea?" I ask simply.

"You know very well what I'm talking about. You're giving me that look that says you want to attack me!" His fur pricks up on his tail and ears. He actually looks kind of cute instead of menacing. "If I had claws I'd scratch you so bad, your own mother wouldn't even recognize you."

"Yeah _if_ you had them, but you don't." I say before climbing on top of him. My tail wags fast as I start playing with Izaya, mostly just ear nipping and tickling or nuzzling. I nibble on Izaya's cat ear which is pretty sensitive since he mews cutely beneath me. I release his ear before kissing his cheek.

"Get off me, you mutt." He says as he tries to push me off. I suddenly feel something strange land on my neck. It sends a shiver down my spine before I finally realize what it was. I look up and see that it's snow. Izaya looks up too and tries to shield his sensitive ears from the snow. "Ne...I don't see what's so romantic about lover's in the snow…I'm freezing my tail off out here…let's go Shizu-chan."

"Cry baby." I say with a laugh.

"Am not!" Izaya says as he gives me a shove. I bring him closer to me and kiss his forehead. He purrs lowly as he puts his hood on his head. He mutters something I can't hear and then starts heading in the direction of his apartment. I follow him.

**Izaya's POV**

It's snowing even harder than before. I don't usually watch the weather channel since they're usually wrong, but maybe if I had I could have avoided being stuck in the snow. Shizu-chan tends to avoid being affected by the feeling of pain and the like, but I can't do the same. I hate the cold. I don't mind watching the snow fall, but I hate being stuck outside when it's snowing or raining. I rather be inside enjoying a nice, hot cup of coffee than being where the snow is going to sneak it's way past your warm jacket and end up chilling your neck when you least expect it. And it does happen, also with the rain.

"You're gonna keep whining?"

"I'm just saying that if you hadn't chased me across the city then we wouldn't have been so far away from my apartment." I say as I hang my jacket on my coat rack and suddenly trip and fall clumsily to the floor and trapping my head into a small box I had opened so I could stuff more unnecessary gifts from Shizu-chan into it. "This is why this world could never be heaven…"

"Hmm, is this when I'm supposed to say something really stupid and cheesy?" Shizu-chan laughs.

"Yeah, this is the part where you say, 'Oh Izaya, this world is heaven to me when I'm with you' or something like that." I say as I get my head out of the box and toss it. I collapse on the couch and sigh exhaustedly.

"Not gonna happen. I'm not founding this relationship on lies." He says with a laugh. I smile and laugh with him. "So…mind telling me what happened to your apartment?" Shizu-chan asks as he looks around and notices the horrible mess I've created during the weeks of his absence in my life. It was so very quiet, deafening quiet. It could have made the sanest person in the world go mad. And since I'm already quite insane (at least in Shizu-chan's opinion) it was even more horrid. "Is that a piano?"

"Yeah. Want to hear me play 'My Heart Will Go On' by Céline Dion?" I ask happily, my tail swaying back and forth slowly. My ears twitch happily as I look at Shizu-chan lovingly.

"No, I don't want to cry." Shizu-chan answers dully as he blushes a bit. His dog ears twitch a bit from nervousness.

"_You_? _Cry_?" I say as I laugh a little. He smacks the back of my head, sending a pain through my entire body as he does so.

"Yeah, I'm not heartless like you." He says with a glare. There's a short silence before I poke him with a smirk.

"So which part made you cry?"

"Shut up." He mutters in frustration.

"It was the end, am I right? When Jack dies?"

"SHUT. UP." He says sternly, though his ears seem to give him away as they flatten against his head unhappily. He looks adorable if I do say so myself. I'm not gonna say he looks adorable to his face because I have no doubt that he'll argue with me and smack the back of my head again. He turns his head and sighs. "Damn small board…didn't fit both of them…"

"Ha! It _was_ the end!"

"Shut up!" I ruffle his hair and nuzzle my head against his chest. "Damn flea…"

"You watch too many romantic movies." I inform him plainly. "And yet, you don't know how to woo someone like me. Showering me with gifts would have been completely ineffective if I hadn't thought it was kind of cute since they were coming from you who knows absolutely nothing about flirting with me."

"I flirt with you all the time."

"Throwing vending machines at your crush isn't flirting."

"Oops." He says with a smile. "Well, I guess you're right I know nothing about flirting then." He adds sarcastically.

"On another note, a little birdie told me you were watching anime at home because you were depressed about me rejecting you~"

"Che, yeah right." He says as he crosses his arms. "I watch anime regardless if I'm depressed or not."

"You're really childish Shizu-chan."

"And you're really crazy." I nuzzle my face against his cheek before kissing his lips softly. He pulls me in and holds onto my tightly as if fearing that I'd disappear or I would wind up being just a figment of his imagination, a dream. But this isn't one. I can feel his soft lips against mine, his tight grasp, the feeling of his warm body pressing ever-so closer to mine. If I wasn't so involved with Shizu-chan at the moment I'd move my piece and Shizu-chan's piece across my complex game board to checkmate. "I love you…" My ears prick up as I become aware of the words Shizu-chan has just uttered. It was barely above a whisper, but I was able to catch it. He looks at me waiting for me to say something, do something. I can't find my voice; even if I want to (and I do really want to) I can't say it back. He leans in and presses his forehead against mine and his tail wags rapidly. He takes my hand and presses it against his chest where his heart is. I can feel his heartbeat pound. I gently grab his hand and do the same, blushing fiercely as I do so. He smiles and kisses me again, more passionately this time.

I'm suddenly pressed into the couch, Shizu-chan hovering over me. He traces butterfly kisses on my neck; my skin suddenly getting goosebumps as he travels downward to my collarbone. I remove his sunglasses and stare into his mocha eyes and feel myself start to drift off into euphoria. Usually when faced in the midst of death have people experienced such sudden euphoria; it is at this very moment that I feel like I'm only experiencing such a sensation, such a feeling because I feel like I could die right now…It's kind of funny since Shizu-chan always spoke of killing me and only now when giving me so much love could he actually succeed in that goal.

"Are you scared…?"

"A little…" I admit with a smile.

"Be honest…are you afraid of me…are you afraid of me hurting you…?"

"You're certainly capable of that much." I say with a laugh. "But no, I'm not afraid of you, just afraid of the feelings you stir inside me."

"That's why I love you…" He says as he hugs me tightly.

"And this is why I love you." I finally say. "Because you're so emotionally unstable…completely opposite from me…making me whole." I pause and hug him. "Brute."

"Flea."

"Protozoan."

"Louse."

I don't remember being happier in my life than I am right at this moment, in the arms of a monster.

* * *

_Early Morning~_

It's easy to forget the real world sometimes when you get together with someone you've liked since high school. The only thing that brought me back to reality (unfortunately) was my cell phone which proceeded to ring for a minute and a half. I get up lazily, carefully trying to avoid waking Shizu-chan sleeping next to me. Last night was peaceful and almost magical. We didn't do much except confide in each other some things that we've kept secret since we met; most of the confessions were small.

After that we just slept in each other's arms and I got to find out that Shizu-chan prefers to sleep in his boxers, which amuses me to no end. I sleep in my boxers also, but usually have a loose long sleeved shirt while I sleep, especially during the winter. Shizu-chan said something about how cute I look in such a shirt since it obviously looks far too big for me.

To think my phone had to make me pull away from Shizu-chan's hold. I grab my pants and head over to the bathroom before answering the phone.

"Hello?" I whisper.

"Ni-san!" Mairu says energetically. Oh great…

"What do you want Mairu?" I ask as I slip on my pants as I hold the phone between my ear and shoulder.

"Man, how long is that pole you got stuck in your butt? It might be pushing on your polite gland." Mairu says bitterly. I can tell that she's pouting; she's easily to read even on the phone.

"Look, I'm a bit busy right now so if you're just going to complain about how I'm being a horrible person then I'm hanging up." I say in irritation. Mairu mostly calls just because she wants to do just that and then start talking about how I should take them to see Yuhei.

"Oh you're busy with your boyfriend? Now I know what really is up your butt isn't a pole~" She says with a giggle. GAH! She makes me so irritated and flustered! This is just a game to her; she loves to see how mad I can get. She and Kururi just love pushing my buttons and making me unbearably miserable and embarrassed.

"I swear I'll knock you both out and send you to some desert island if you don't stop." I say threateningly.

"I bet you didn't want Shizuo-kun to stop what he was doing to you last night~" For the love of—I am not amused by this at all!

"Mairu!"

"Alright, alright, don't be so anal; I think you already had enough of that already anyway."

"MAIRU!" I say as I get to the kitchen.

"Well anyway, I called because Kururi wants to go to the mall today!"

"Can't you guys ever decide on something that I wouldn't mind doing…?"

"_Doing_? You mean like Shizuo~?" If I was a sane person I would have hung up the phone right there and then, but the only reason why I didn't was because she proceeded to tell me that they really wanted to spend some more time with me. And being the wonderful older brother that I am, I couldn't say no. Besides, even if she pissed me off, I'm still in a good mood.

**Shizuo's POV**

I wake up to the sound of yelling; already guessing it's Izaya talking to his sisters. They're the only ones that make him lose it, besides me. I get up slowly and stretch a little before noticing that I'm in my boxers and on Izaya's bed. At first I thought that we did it last night, but I remember suddenly that we just stayed up a little past eleven talking and kissing occasionally. I also remembering giving him a hickey when he confessed about some prank he pulled on me years ago.

"What the…?" I say as he I hear a phone ring tone. He has two phones? I pick the phone up and answer it. "Hello?"

"Shizuo?" I hear Shinra say on the other line.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Where's Izaya?"

"He's on the phone…."

"Ah I see, well…it's good that I got you though." Sounds like something I've heard in a romantic movie. Weird. "Look, I'm worried about you guys…I know you both decided on staying as you are, but I fear there may be complications if you don't change back to normal. I tested Izaya's hear sample I got from Celty yesterday and I found that it has the genetic makeup of cat fur not human hair…"

"Wait, what do you mean we both decided on staying as we are?"

"That's what Izaya told me…he said you didn't mind staying as you are."

"You were gonna change us back to normal?!" I ask angrily.

"He didn't inform you…did he…" It sounded like more of a statement than a question.

"Just tell me what the hell is going on!" I say.

"Um…well…I'll just have to tell you what I told Izaya…Okay…well…After the accident…I successfully did a standard blood transfusion, but while you guys were asleep for lack of a better word… I decided take that as the opportunity to test out a new serum I had made…I didn't really give you both animal blood…I only said that because I knew you both would do unspeakable, torturous things to me if you knew the truth…I told Izaya this earlier and told him I had the antidote even prior to the transformation, but he said that you and him wanted to stay as you are…It did sound a bit suspicious…I'm sorry I didn't listen to my intuition."

"Izaya knew about it…"

"I know you're probably upset Shizuo…but I bet he has a reason to have lied…"

"Yeah I bet he does and I'm gonna find out what that reason is." I say as my ear lifts up as I hear footsteps from the bathroom. "I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

Keeping this secret for this long and even going as far as making a decision for me, a decision I didn't want, that's really low. I mean, if Shinra said that there may be complications with this shit he put inside us and the flea being as damn smart as he is to most likely have known…What if something bad were to have happened during the time when he kept this secret? What if we start losing ourselves and become animals? That damn flea…

"Little devils…" Izaya mutters to himself as he reenters the room."Oh Shizu-chan you're awake."

"Yeah, it's kind of hard to sleep when you're lover keeps yapping and yelling on the phone." I say as I slip out of bed and reach for my pants. He blushes fiercely, probably because I referred to him as my lover.

"Ne…I thought you were a heavy sleeper."

"I am, but I bet even a deaf person would wake up to your whines and shouts." I say as massage the back of my neck. I suddenly hear the faint sound of paper rustling and someone outside muttering to himself. My ears lift up to hear the rustling a bit better. Izaya notices this and his ears flick a bit from the noise as well, similar to the way a cow does when it has flies around its face.

"Oh, the mail's here." I get my pants on quickly and head over to the front door growling a bit as I hear the mailman finally pick out the right letters. "Get away Shizu-chan. If you try to rip up my mail, you're dead."

"I bet it's just bills." I say as I my head. Damn I'm itchy for some reason.

"How about you go take a bath?"

"Are you gonna come in with me?" I ask with a smirk. He blushes and answers the door, ignoring my small barks as I try to head outside and tackle the mailman. The mailman asks if Izaya has a dog in the apartment and then warns him that it's against the rules to keep a pet here, especially a large dog. Izaya smiles and says that he doesn't have a dog, kicking me when he says this, and then thanks the mailman before shutting the door.

"Here, you can have the funny section of the newspaper." Izaya says before stuffing the newspaper in my mouth. I hold the paper in my mouth for a moment before the dry taste of the ink starts to leave a weird taste in my mouth. I unfold the newspaper, scanning over the comics before tearing the paper up for the hell of it. Not sure why, but it sure was fun. "Come here Shizu-chan." Izaya says as he tugs at my collar and drags me over to the bathroom, the tub almost filled with water.

"Damn flea. You didn't have to drag me; you were choking me."

"Well, if you weren't so involved in that newspaper then maybe you would have heard me when I called you moments before."

"Oh, so I'm supposed to listen to you?" I smirk a bit before he grabs something from the sink and pulls the trigger on it, spraying me with water. I growl as he continues to spray me. "Stop that!" I say as I snatch it from him and start spraying him with it. He hisses as he backs away and runs out of the bathroom. I follow him to see where the hell he's off to. He didn't go far. He's sitting on the couch, cleaning his face with his hands and trying to dry his ears by shaking his head. "Oh right, cats don't like water." I say with a smile.

"That water was cold!" Izaya explains as he licks the back of his hand like a cat would. "Ne…just get in the bath. I'll take one after you." I look at him with a dull look before grabbing him by his shirt and casually carry him (almost like a mother cat would) to the bathroom. He struggles in my hold, but doesn't escape. I grab a hold of his shirt before pulling it over his head and removing it. He shudders at the feeling of being half nude. "Protozoan! What the hell are you doing!?"

"I'm trying to strip you so you can bathe with me, louse." I say dully.

"Would you stop calling me 'louse' and 'flea'? Those nicknames aren't endearing." Izaya says as he covers his chest, probably embarrassed of his slim body. I spot the hickey I gave him on his neck last night and smile to myself.

"I'm not gonna call you 'sweetheart' or 'honey' that's not my cup of tea."

"You won't say those nicknames but you can say 'that's not my cup of tea' with such confidence?" Izaya asks as he looks at me in annoyance. I shrug and unbuckle his belt. "Hey!" He smacks me beside the head and starts struggling. I put him over my shoulder as he kicks and punches my back. I pull off his pants, leaving his underwear on since he keeps protesting that I don't take them off. I manage to remove my pants pretty easily even if I have Izaya over my shoulder. I don't have a shirt on so it was easier.

"Get in the tub first and I'll go in afterward since you're so shy about your body."

"Ne…it's not common for a couple that _just_ got together to bathe with one another." Izaya explains simply. "Besides…the water is…"

"You've taken a shower earlier this week, right? Why would you be afraid of water _now_?"

"I don't know…" I pick Izaya up bridal style and am about to put him in the tub but he doesn't let go. In fact, he digs his nails into my back, clinging to me for dear life. "No, no, no!"

"Come on, cat's hating water is just a myth."

"No! It's not uncommon for some cats to hate water and I'm one of those cats!" Izaya says as he kicks and tells me to put him down. I oblige by 'putting him down' in the tub. He wants to get out as soon as I put him in, but I block his way before getting in with him with my boxers on. His ears twitch in irritation as he makes mew sounds. I just smile as he shivers.

"If you didn't keep stalling the water wouldn't be this cold." I say as I start scrubbing him down and putting shampoo in his hair. "Damn flea." I say before smiling.

"Hmm…" He mutters as he purrs; I suppose he likes the scrubbing. "My sisters called…they want me to take them to the mall so they can get Christmas gifts." He says as he groans. "It's still three weeks until Christmas, why can't they just wait until the last minute to shop like everyone else. Or better yet, get gifts and decorations after Christmas when they're on sale."

"Christmas…"

"What? Are you reminiscing about the Christmases you had with your dearly beloved brother?" I twist his arm at this point. "OW! You damn gorilla!"

"So what if I was reminiscing? I had nice Christmases. How did you spend yours?"

"…I never had a wonderful Christmas…my parent's…would always beat me…I always cried…" Izaya says as a tear escaped his eye. I look dumbstruck at him as he sniffs.

"Izaya…" I say sadly. He opens one eye and smiles before laughing manically like he's known for.

"Ha! You believed me! Ne, my Christmases were great because I hadn't met Shizu-chan yet~" I grit my teeth before pulling his cat ears really hard. "OW! You! Shizu-chan! Let go!" Despite his annoying protests, I continue to tug at his ears but a little less violently after a while. This is actually more fun than trying to kill him. I mean, his expression he's making is really cute. He slaps my hand away and meows at me lowly. "Sadist!"

"Well that's new." I say with a laugh. "I'm not being cruel to you, louse."

"Oh sure, every loving boyfriend pulls his lover's ears and smiles while causing pain to them!"

"Boyfriend?"

"Yeah, that's what you are to me…right…? You're my boyfriend, right?" For a few seconds I'm lost for words. I mean, sure it's one thing to act all stupid and in love, but it's another thing to officially announce that we're actually dating. It's really weird, but to have him say I'm his boyfriend makes me feel wanted, makes me feel like I've finally have someone in my grasp.

"Yeah, I am so does that mean you're the girlfriend?"

"Hell no! If you refer to me as your 'girlfriend' I'm gonna have you fetch a cactus the next time we head out to the park." I shudder. I know that if he did throw one, I'd fetch it like a good (stupid) dog. "Now, let's get out and head over to get my sister's…they're waiting in the center of Ikebukuro." He says as he gets up and practically jumps out. He sits down on the mat and shakes his body before licking his hand. I wash myself off before getting out too. I push Izaya out of the way and shake violently like a dog who's just had a bath in the backyard. "I just took a bath, Shizu-chan. You didn't have to give me a shower too." Izaya says bitterly.

I'd hate to know what's going to go down at the mall, but we're just gonna have to figure that out once we get there.

* * *

A/N: I was going to put the mall part in with this one, but then it would have gotten a wee bit long. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed. Please review and hopefully I'll have another chapter up by Sunday~


	16. I'll Still Love You

I suppose this marks my return and I truly apologize to people who've been waiting a ridiculous amount of time for this new chapter. Anyway, I'm taking this through a different route. I think I'll still do the Christmas chapter even if it's way past that time. I'll see.

* * *

_At the Center of Town~_

**Mairu's POV**

"Man, those two are so late!" I say feeling really annoyed. What could be taking them so long?

"Shower." Kururi says simply. I nod with a smile before I giggle.

"Yeah, I think so too. I bet they're taking a steamy shower together. Oh, here they come!" I say happily as I take my sister's hand and lead her closer to the two lovebirds. "Izaya-ni! We've been waiting for you for ages!" I complain as I put my arm around my brother's. Kururi pushes Shizuo out of the way and grabs his other arm.

"You said to meet up at 9:15. I'm only two minutes late." Ni-chan explains to us with an annoyed expression.

"You shouldn't be late at all." I tell him with a pout. "So, you brought your boyfriend again?"

"Actually, yes." Izaya says as he looks at Shizuo with a smile. We haven't seen Izaya-ni smile like this before…weird…Well actually Kururi and I saw him like this a couple times before. He reminded us of a schoolgirl in love during his high school years. I remember it like it was yesterday…

**Flashback**

"_I wonder if Izaya-ni is up yet." I ask my sister as I sneak over to where Ni-chan's door is. He's awake alright, but he doesn't seem to be getting ready to take us to school. I pout and open the door a little more so Kururi can see. "Ni-chan is looking at pictures of that guy again." I say as I see a bunch of pictures of Shizu-chan as Izaya-ni calls him on his computer. Our brother is such a creeper sometimes, but this is really going overboard, even for him. _

"_Shizu-chan…" He says longingly as he scans through the pictures. Wow…Windows Photo Gallery is probably filled with pictures by now. "Hmm? What the heck are you demons doing!?" Izaya-ni says as he throws a pillow at us. We giggle as we close the door. He sprints over and opens his door angrily before pulling on our hoods of our jackets. "You two are so bothersome. Haven't you ever heard of privacy?!"_

"_Never heard of him." _

"_It's not a 'him' it's something that you have to give your big brother or else he'll send you in a package to Antarctica." _

"_Humph, you mean that place that's as cold as your heart?" _

"_Cold." Kururi repeats simply._

"_You two should be glad you have a brother who's willing to take you both to school every morning. You know how often little girls like you—even if you two aren't cute at all—get raped?" Ni-chan asks as he looks at us sternly. _

"_Don't you know that the percentage of rape is lower here than in America? It's because of all of the por—" Ni-chan blushes as he covers my mouth before spouting out a bunch of complaints about how we should both be better little girls. He's one to talk. He makes that guy Shizuo's life the living hell. I'm surprised he hasn't gone completely insane when Ni-chan gets near him. Oh well._

"_You two are a handful…Can't you both just stay out of my room?" _

"_We were out of your room, genius. We were outside in the hallway." I say with a smile._

"_Duh." Kururi says timely._

"_Ugh." Ni-chan says before facepalming himself. _

We walk with Ni-chan and Shizuo, but along the way—probably three to four times—we stopped because Shizuo stopped to smell some fire hydrants. Ni-chan tugged at the collar he was wearing and practically dragged him the rest of the way after the last time he stopped.

"So why are we shopping so early?"

"We're looking for gifts for some friends. And we're getting some decorations." I tell Ni-chan as I take my sister's hand before pulling her away. "We'll meet you guys at the sweet shop in a little while."

"Hey!" Ni-chan says before we run off on our own.

**Izaya's POV**

Right, they say they want to spend some time with me, but completely abandon me once they've reached their destination. Typical…it's not as if I was hoping that they'd hang around me and continue to pester me about my relationship or something of the like, but it feels like this was a complete waste of my precious time. Shizu-chan just came to make sure I wasn't gonna be attacked by some vengeful client or some horrible sex offender.

"Well, this is just great. They run off and I have to wait for them until they're ready." I complain before turning around and seeing Shizu-chan practically drool over the sweets in the window of the sweet shop. I pet his head and ask him if he's hoping to buy some. He's difficult at first, saying that he's not hoping for anything, but a couple minutes later we end up going inside and picking out a small cake for the both of us to share. "Shizu-chan can I ask you something…?" He continues devouring the small cake before I pull the box away from him and leave to the side of me; he's had enough anyway, the rest is mine to eat. "Well?" I demand a little more sternly.

"Yeah, go ahead." He says simply. I notice a crumb of cake still on his face so I lean in and lick it away before purring against him. He blushes before pushing me away before looking around to see if anyone was watching. "Don't do that here. What if someone we know sees us?"

"Well, then we won't have to have that awkward conversation with anyone telling them that we're a couple." I purr as I rub my head under his chin. "It's possible that Mairu and Kururi already told someone by now."

"Well…I guess so…and Tom already knows too…"

"And Shinra."

"And Celty." He adds as he counts on his hands.

"And I'm almost sure that Simon knows as well without being told."

"And Erika too, without a shadow of a doubt."

"Oh Kadota and his gang knows from her then."

"Plus my brother…since he seems to know everything that goes on with me…"

"Well I guess that's everybody. See? Nothing to worry about." I say with a sly smile.

"And what about your secretary?" Shizu-chan asks simply.

"That woman doesn't even care if I'm alive, so I hardly think she'd care if she knew I was gay and in a relationship with the monster of Ikebukuro." I say as I sigh. "Anyway, can I ask you something? And can you answer it truthfully and seriously?"

"'Seriously'? You're the one who doesn't answer things seriously." He says as he smirks before nipping my cat ear. I rub my ear and push him slightly. "So what's your question?"

"Ne…What are you doing Christmas Eve?"

"Kind of a corny question don't ya think, flea?" Shizu-chan asks with a light laugh.

"It was intentional, protozoan." I counter as I purr against his chest. The warmth is inviting; he always seems to have this warmth, a kind of peculiar kind of warmth that he gives off. "So are you going to answer my question? Or are you going to keep me waiting?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the one who knows everything? Don't you know that Christmas is a time for lovers? So why ask?" Shizu-chan asks with a smile. His tail wags happily as he puts his arm around my shoulder.

"I wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth." I say as I flick my ears, tickling his cheek. "In this case, the mutt's mouth."

"I am not a mutt." He growls as he pushes me. "Well, might as well tell you that I'm thinking of spending Christmas Eve with you, flea." It was a quiet time we shared for a while until my sister's decided to interrupt us and drag us all around the shopping district to buy senseless things. They insisted on buying some gifts for friends and some for family. Shizu-chan and I bought a few gifts for friends. Shinra is pretty easy to shop for. We just got him a tie. We bought Celty a purse, though I'm not sure if she'll like it. I'm not used to doing things like this and Shizu-chan is as hopeless as me. He had actually thought of getting Kasuka a lamp for his living room before I suggested on some shades and a hat for when he heads out into public. It's a pretty poor disguise, but that's on purpose so I can cause him a bit of trouble.

My sisters head off after we head into the center of town, to the station. We go our separate ways as it starts to snow again.

"Louse, how much longer are we going to freeze our tails out here?" Shizu-chan asks as he wraps his scarf more tightly around his neck.

"Where did you learn how to give your lover pet names, from a jerkwad's handbook?" I ask as I laugh. "I don't see why you're complaining anyway. You have intense body heat like some bear."

"We've been out here for hours. Let's head over to Shinra's; he called me this morning and told me we need to run more tests. Seems like something is up with our blood or something."

"Uh…let's just not and say we did." I say playfully as my tail swings as I grow anxious. The last thing I want is for that damn doctor to tell Shizu-chan I prolonged this little "experiment" he trapped us in for my own selfish wants, though I doubt that would surprise Shizu-chan. He's known me for so long…I suppose even I'm too predictable. "We could head to my place and have some fun instead~" I try to persuade him as I rub against his arm while I purr.

"Trust me, that's tempting." He says sarcastically. "But I really want to head over to Shinra's; he said it was really important that we meet at his place. He sounded really troubled over the phone."

"Did…did he tell you anything else?" I ask as Shizu-chan walks towards the underground doctor's apartment. There's really no stopping this brute when he sets his mind—or whatever it is that's in his head—on something.

"No, why?" He asks casually.

"Oh…no reason…in particular…" I say with a Cheshire cat smile.

It's as if the entire world is against me…Not only did we arrive to Shinra's place earlier than expected, Shinra's actually home at this hour.

"I'm glad you guys came. I just finished baking some pet treats for you guys." Shinra says with a smile. "Oh, that's a nice bow collar Izaya-kun. But why pink?"

"Ugh…is it against the law that I can't like pink?" I ask in frustration. "Anyway…thanks for the compliment. Shizu-chan bought it for me when we went shopping with my sisters."

"Shizuo, you bought something for Izaya?!"

"Shinra, we already know that you know we're a couple." I say as I lay on the head rest of the couch on my back. Celty who is below me begins scratching the sides of my chin and the purring commences. My tail begins to settle against the head rest and my purring gets louder.

"Darn." Shinra says with a pout. "Well, congrats and Izaya don't be so affectionate towards my Celty!" He reprimands me.

[Calm down Shinra. He's just a cat.]

"Correction a cat hybrid and for all we know, he might be in heat." Immediately after Shinra said this, there was an absence of sweet jaw-line scratching and Celty had distanced herself from me as if I were carrying some awful, fatal disease. I now feel quite lonely and rejected…

"I'm not in heat!" I say angrily. "I wouldn't still be a virgin if I was."

"You're a virgin?" Shizu-chan asks curiously. I blush as I realize what I just revealed.

"Heh, there are ten things I don't need to know about my friends…and that's one of them. Anyway, I'm glad you're both here. I'm hoping you settled whatever conflict you had with each other regarding how Izaya had lied, so on and so forth."

"You told him!?" I ask in utter shock.

"So…you guys didn't resolve anything…?" Shinra asks apprehensively. "Look, you guys can settle that matter later. Right now, I just did some other DNA tests and it turns out that your genetic structures are becoming more and more animal-like…it probably won't be long until you're both incapable of articulate, verbal communication or even standing in an erect manner."

"Hah?" Shizu-chan asks. Shinra sighs before translating.

"You won't be able to talk or walk on two legs." Shinra says simply.

"Oh, why didn't you say that in the first place?" Shizu-chan says angrily. I distance myself from Shizu-chan hoping that I can attempt a quick escape without raising any suspicion, but as I turn the doorknob, Shizu-chan's ear flick. He turns around and captures me by my hood. "Where do you think you're going you snake?" I whimper in fear as my limbs huddle close to my body. He sets me on the couch and growls at me. "When exactly were you going to tell me that Shinra had called and asked if we wanted to be changed back?"

"Um…if everything went well…and no one spilled the beans…never." I say honestly. "But I had a good reason."

"Alright, I'm listening." Shizu-chan asks with his hands crossed. I wrap my tail around my body and lower my head.

"It's just that…I figured that if we changed back you wouldn't feel the same for me as you do now…there's always the chance that, when something similar to this, happens things will return to the way things were before the incident." I say simply. "I suppose…I was a bit…" I pause as Shizu-chan looks at me skeptically. "Fine…I was afraid you weren't going to like me anymore if we changed back to normal…"

"For someone who calls himself a genius, you sure are dumb." Shizu-chan says with a laugh. "Now I don't feel so bad about not understanding a lot of shit."

"I'm not sure if you're trying to insult me or prove me wrong in my assumptions. Either way, you're hurting my feelings, brute." I say with a hiss.

"I'm trying to tell you that you're an idiot for thinking I'd hate you just like before. Things have changed, we've changed. We can't go back to exactly the same before and besides, I wouldn't want to." I feel lighter as I see Shizu-chan smiling at me. My tail swishes behind me happily as my ears twitch nervously. I jump into his arms and purr even louder than I had before.

[That was really sweet Shizuo.]

"Thanks, I've been watching a lot of romance movies." Shizu-chan says with a shrug. I smile happily as he holds my hand. Shinra laughs nervously as he tries to understand what just transpired. "So, where's the antidote anyway?"

"Um…right…the antidote…it's not quite done yet…"

"What do you mean? I thought you already had it."

"I _did_…that's the problem." I ask him to clarify what he's saying, so he sighs before continuing. "I had the antidote when I explained my true intentions to you Izaya, but after a couple days, Blackstorm took it upon himself to play with the bottle while trespassing in my study." I look to Celty who only pets the culprit. "Blackstorm coincidentally destroyed the antidote, none of it was salvageable. Unfortunately, I don't have another antidote on hand. I've been making a spare one since I made the first. It's extremely difficult to make so…"

"So what you're saying is that you only wanted us to come by so you could warn us about what might happen since you don't have the antidote?" I ask him worriedly. "What's going to happen to us? Are we going to be permentantly stuck like this?"

"No, if you guys undergo the changes that I assume you will be undergoing in a few days or even hours from now then it won't be long after that that the serum will wear off. The antidote is just more convenient since it would change you back immediately. Waiting for the serum to wear off might take a couple weeks…or months…"

"Months?!" Shizu-chan asks angrily.

"What are these 'changes' that you keep going on about?" I ask Shinra skeptically. My ears twitch in irritation as I circle around the underground doctor. He starts to laugh nervously as a he sweats.

"Well, in theory if I didn't inject the antidote before the end of the month, then stage two of the serum would commence. These changes are usually not so abrupt and may happen during the night, going on unnoticed. Um…to put it simply, sometime during the week, both of you will change wholly into your animal forms. So, Izaya will be a cat and Shizuo, you'll be a dog." Shinra puts his hands in front of his face to shield himself from punches or scratches but they never come. He puts his hands down and looks at us. "Are you two alright? Or are you both suffering from trauma?"

"I'm sort of overcome by the sheer desire to toss you out the window."

"Same with me, but I rather tear you limb by limb." Shizu-chan adds as he growls.

[Wait. If you both kill Shinra then who's going to make the antidote?] Celty types quickly, saving the underground doctor just in the nick of time. Shizu-chan paces back and forth, trying to calm himself while I sit in the recliner like I usually do.

"So, if we do turn into animals, how long will it be from that point to turn back to normal?" I ask as I rub my temples in frustration.

"Um…two to four weeks probably."

"Probably?" Shizu-chan asks in irritation.

"I'm not sure! I never tested this serum out!" Shinra admits as he sits next to Celty. "I'm almost done with the antidote. If you both turn into animals before I finish, it's still possibly to administer the antidote and turn you both back to normal. How's all that sound?"

"Well, it sounds better than all that depressing talk you said earlier." I say as I wrap my tail around my body. "Well, I suppose it's pointless to sit here and do nothing. I'm going to go back to work and resume my daily life. If signs start showing then I'll have to leave work for a while."

"Sounds like when my mom was pregnant with my brother." Shizu-chan says blandly.

"Well, I think that plan sounds reasonable." Shinra says, ignoring Shizu-chan's comment. "And when it comes time that your 'pregnancy' gets to its prime point then you both will have to spend the rest of the weeks in Celty and my care. How does that sound?" I twitch as I hear the end of the bargain before agreeing to it. How bad could it be?

We head out after that, well not before eating the treats Shinra baked us. Truth be told, they tasted like a boot that was set on fire with baby powder, but (oddly enough) I didn't have the heart to tell him so. Shizu-chan didn't complain either, probably because he can stomach anything. Well, almost anything. I suppose he wouldn't eat a couch. That's not true actually. He ate mine that one time I left him alone.

Shizu-chan stops me in the hallway to help me put on my jacket like a real gentleman before pressing his lips on mine gently. I put my arms around his neck and moan into the kiss as he slides his tongue in.

"Not even ten feet from our apartment and you're already lovey-dovey I see." Shinra says as he ruins the moment. Shizu-chan pulls away and growls under his breath and glares at Shinra. "You almost left your bags that you were carrying." Shizu-chan snatches them and says a dry thank you before taking my hand and leading me down the stairs.

"I meant what I said back there."

"What? That you were going to tear Shinra limb from limb?"

"No." Shizu-chan says in irritation. "That I'm going to love you even if we change back to normal." I blush and turn away from his stare.

"Pfft, 'change back to normal'? What about the old us was ever normal to begin with?" I laugh a little before turning to him. "We were both outcasts; no doubt that we still are and are still going to be. Of course we're outcasts for different reasons. You're a brainless monster and I'm a devious, beautiful, intelligent informant."

"And you're a narcissist." Shizu-chan adds as he growls.

"Oh, did you finally buy a dictionary, Shizu-chan?"

"Now that you mention it. Yeah, I did. And it's about ten pounds; it's hard enough that when I swat you in the head with it you'll be unconscious."

"Hmmm, I bet you'd be able to render me unconscious if you ever decided to make love to me~" He blushes fiercely and let's go of my hand before trying to stutter some comebacks to what I just said. None of his comebacks are too articulate to understand unfortunately. "Just admit it, you're hopelessly trying to figure out how to get in bed with this amazingly perfect body~" He growls before picking up a nearby vending machine as we make it outside.

"IZZZAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAA !" He says before tossing it.

"You sound like you're powering up a Kamehameha." I say with a snicker before using my cat-like reflexes to dodge the vending machine. I run away with Shizu-chan trailing behind me in a barbaric fashion. We never promised that we'd give up these fun little cat and mouse chases, or dog and cat to be precise. In all honesty, I don't think I'd want to stop.

**Celty's POV**

I look out the window and find the two chasing each other like usual. Izaya will still have the tendency to push Shizuo's buttons no matter if they're together. I don't think Shizuo minds it all that much, but to say it doesn't throw him over the edge, might be a sort of lie.

"Ah love~" Shinra comments as he joins me in watching the little spectacle outside. "I'm sure they'll be getting a lot of visits from Erika, that's for sure." Shinra laughs a little before heading over to his computer and typing something down. "I think we better get ready to get two more pets…by the end of the week."

[I'm hoping you're right about the antidote…if it doesn't work after they change into animals, we're going to be in trouble.] I'm not even sure why I had went along with this stupid "experiment" in the first place. Messing with the two most powerful guys in Ikebukuro is either extremely brave or dangerously stupid. I'd actually vote on the latter…

"I know…but just think of it this way, Ikebukuro will be free of those two causing trouble." I shake my head at him and type a new message.

[Yeah, but we'll have two more mouths to feed and plus I'm sure they won't be too pleased if we break the news to them that they'll be stuck as animals forever.] I can only picture how pissed they'd both be if we told them the news. I'm hoping, praying, wishing that the serum works.

"Well, we're not even sure after they change into animals that they'll be able to understand human speech, so breaking the news to them won't probably result in anyone getting their eyes scratched out or their legs bitten off." Shinra is sometimes way too optimistic…I'm not saying that I'm more likely to sulk in the corner believing that only bad things happen, but I like to keep an open mind.

[Well, if it does, it won't be _my_ eyes or _my_ legs.] I type calmly. He sighs and laughs a little nervously.

"Thank you for the support, Celty…" I nod simply.

* * *

A/N: I'm not going to give any excuses, but I've had the motivation to finish this story. I bought a new computer with a nice keyboard that gives me that typing itch, so now I'll be working on ending this story. I may need some help in figuring out what to add and whatnot. I hope people are still reading this...If people aren't I suppose I'll still finish it anyway. Please review!


End file.
